Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers Open Up Another Can of Worms for the NHL

The NHL's current situation with concussions and head shots has led to a number of changes. The league has explored many possibilities in an effort to reduce the amount of head injuries and to protect its players. With the increase of concussions in recent years, the league was forced to adapt.

On January 17th, the NHL's ability to "change on the fly" was tested once again.

The pregame warm-up is used by players to prepare for their upcoming game, giving them a chance to focus and loosen up. What's used as a method to get players in the right state of mind was quite the opposite for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Taylor Hall suffered an injury before the game which has caused both the league and its teams to rethink the norm.

Going through the warm-up has become second nature to many NHLers, and after Tuesday's warm-up, Hall is considered to be lucky by many. After slipping on the ice, Hall collided with a teammate, ending with a serious scare. At the last second, Oilers defenseman Corey Potter attempted to jump out of the way of his sliding teammates. Unfortunately, on his way down, Potter's skate made contact with Hall resulting in 30 stitches.

The scary incident leads to a number of questions: Could Hall's injury been prevented with a helmet? Why hasn't the league mandated the use of helmets during the warm-ups? What's the difference between a game and the warm-up that allows a helmet not to be worn?

It's complete negligence by both the league and the teams for making it the player's choice on whether or not to wear a helmet.

The NHL and its teams are a business. Like all other organizations, a business must protect its assets. As demeaning as it may seem, players are assets to the teams. The use of helmets should be seen as a safety precaution.

What separates the NHL from other organizations? If fast food employees must wear anti-slip footwear on duty and construction workers must tie-off after a certain height, all to create a safe work environment, what's preventing the league from mandating the use of helmets during the pre-game warm-up?

The NHL is notorious for being reactive rather than proactive when it comes to changing its rules and regulations. The injury to Taylor Hall should be enough for the league to act quickly and help prevent any more injuries from happening.

Gary Bettman and the NHL can't afford another "dilemma" on their hands, especially with all the attention on Sidney Crosby and the concussion issue.