[gratts99]

What do ya think?

[gratts99]

dammit.. i pushed the wrong button :x :x :x

my answer is NO NO NO.

Owen Nolan is 30 years old. He makes millions of $$ and i dont care, nor is it my business if he protects his face. Just play the game. As soon as you get drafted to the nhl, you know the risks of hockey. yes they play with sticks and yes they play very carelessly these days with them. But if your mature enough to sign multi-million dolar contracts then your mature enough to make a descion on the visor.

Next thing will be , NHL stars will have to wear their seatbelts!!!
who cares...

[ron]

wear the god damn things already i don't want to see their ugly mugs with no teeth anyways

ron

[MikeS]

To me it's real simple...grandfather the visors in like they did helmets (ie. all players entering the league as of TODAY have to wear 'em, but vets can continue to play games with their sight as they see fit (pardon the pun))...

All players in Jr., and US College (full shields) are required to wear them, so I don't see the big deal?...

I still recoil at the thought of Marian Hossa's stick blinding Bryan Berard...the Nolan thing brought back some really bad memories...

As a fan, I don't need to see that again...

This is a league that reacted to the death of one of it's fans by taking drastic measures and installing mesh behind the nets (despite the fact (as tragic as it was) that was a once in a lifetime incident)...After seeing two near-blinding incidents in Leaf games in the past 4 years, I just wish the NHL cared as much about their players as the do their patrons...

M.

[mrlayance]

I just think of all the times that I took sticks on my face sheild. I would be even more of a mess if I didn't have one. I think atleast a half sheild.

[gratts99]

What happens when the stick gets caught in the half shield?? Then the injury is worse!! There is NO way that the NHLPA will vote this is. It impairs their vision and most of the players hate em

[Hairbird]

No, I don't think you should force them on anyone, but the game should be cutting down on the high sticking, big time!

There is no reason to have your stick above the shoulder, ever. There is really no need to have your stick very far above the waist for that matter. When I watch a hockey game now, all I notice is guys skating around the ice with their sticks up in the air. Even a guy chasing down an iced puck, with no one else around (thank God), has his stick pointing straight up. Why? I played hockey for many years, there's no reason. Everytime two guys collide, one hand comes off the stick, and they're both pointing straight up. Why is it always up? It's not just my imagination. It's time to keep the sticks down.

In my mind, it's time to change the rules, and give a penalty everytime a stick comes above the shoulder. Whether it hits someone or not. Whether anyone is even nearby or not. When someone does get hit, whether it was clearly an accident or not. It's easy to keep control of your stick, and the players should be reminded to do so.

Even with the current rules, the officials need to smarten up. There are way too many non-calls every night. 4 officials (yes, linesmen can call stick infractions), and they all miss it? I don't buy it. What's the reprecussion for an official that misses too many of these calls? Hockey needs to crack down on this. It's getting way to dangerous.

[MikeS]

gratts99, I don't think it will be the NHLPA that will have the final "vote" on this issue...rather it will be the insurance companies who will eventually refuse to insure NHL players if they're not wearing a visor. On Bryan Berard alone, his provider was on the hook for well over $5M if he didn't attempt a comeback (fortunately for them, he did)...

Helmets were once "suggested" protection as well, and many players of that day vehemently opposed them on the basis of "comfort". Today, how many NHLers would even think about stepping on the ice for a game without one?...

The visor thing WILL happen eventually...the only question is whether the NHL wants to throw another hot potato on the pile for this CBA bargaining session or not...

Hairbird, I agree the stickwork has to stop, but this goes right back to the fundamental roots of the game (aka minor hockey), where kids today are dressed up like gladiators and can clunk each other over the head to their hearts content with no concerns about doing damage.

As for what to do at the NHL level today? I'm from the Don Cherry school on this one...eliminate the instigator penalty and force all those players like the ones you describe to drop the gloves if their carelessness causes an injury. The impact would be two-fold: 1) players would be more careful with their sticks knowing a "meeting" with Tie Domi could be the price they have to pay if they clip a player (and the ref misses it); and 2) the refs would be forced to call more stick infractions to prevent matters from spiralling out of control through vigilante justice.

Bottom line on all this is that nothing's going to change in the forseeable future until the league recognizes that there is in fact a problem...right now, I see no evidence of that...

M.

[grooveless touque]

With the way the new sticks shoot, there's no excuse for not wearing a visor. One hit is all it takes. These aren't your grandfather's slapshots...a deflected puck - DEFLECTED! - killed a fan in Columbus. It can happen...I think new draftees should have it done. When I watched a game in person during last year's World Juniors right here in halifax, I saw a Swede go down to block a shot, skid too far, and catch the puck in the face. A visor would have saved him reconstructive surgery.

[Mooner]

As for what to do at the NHL level today? I'm from the Don Cherry school on this one...eliminate the instigator penalty and force all those players like the ones you describe to drop the gloves if their carelessness causes an injury. The impact would be two-fold: 1) players would be more careful with their sticks knowing a "meeting" with Tie Domi could be the price they have to pay if they clip a player (and the ref misses it); and 2) the refs would be forced to call more stick infractions to prevent matters from spiralling out of control through vigilante justice.

Exactly...

Right now any little punk in the leage has carte blanche to whatever they want and only sit in the box for a few minutes. Just this weekend Russian dipsy-doodler Pavol Datsuk of my beloved Redwings ran a Bruin face-first into the boards from behind unprevoked (replace this incedent with any cowardly highstick/crosscheck/spear etc). Not too long ago he would have got his face caved in by Hal Gill or Sean O'Donnell instantly for a cheapshot like that. I'd bet he'd think the next time he thought about going after somebody's head if something like that happened.

Even with the instigator as it is now, who wants to see Domi and Brashear square off and punch eachother in the facemask anyways?

[eags]

a couple years ago I was hit in the face with a clearing pass off the boards, I broke my orbital bone, my nose, had to wear a patch until my eye uncrossed but i still don't wear a shield it was a fluke thing. Just my opinion

[beanmedic]

but the argument is that its a fluke thing that could have been prevented.

[prz]

These are grown men playing, if they want to take the risk, let them. I think Damien Cox of the Star made a good point after Nolan was injuried.

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[HIPpyLettuce]

If I go hipbase.com and read a post I don't like, it would be with out a doubt very silly of me to launch a lawsuit against lance for allowing such a post. If there are posts here I don't like I have a choice; 1. read it, dislike it and move on or 2. DON'T READ THE POSTS AT HIPBASE!

I think in the eyes of most people that will make complete sense.

So is the case here to me.. They are all grown men and old enough to make the decision themselves. They know the consequences of not wearing a visor.

Fforcing the players to wear them could possibly just irritate the hell out them and the violence (stick work and so on) will just escalate. And coupled with the higher protection they'd have it would just get uglier and uglier.

I go to Vernon Viper hockey games (BCHL junior A hockey) all the time and I gotta say, its ugly. The refs don't call shit and I'm waiting for the day some poor kid gets cripled from a hit from behind (many of which I've seen where the ref is watching and doesn't call it). Maybe no visors will be reason for refs to crack down on the shitty shape hockey has turned into.

As always I'd like to get extreme with this post

When it comes to lawsuits people can sue a company if they trip and fall and get hurt. It doesn't matter if they tripped on a loose floor board or if they trip on their own feet. They WILL win. And ever case that gets judged in favor of will only add weight to this ever growing problem.

If they make players wear visors it just goes to show that we (as citizens) are loosing our right to choose and then what next? Its mandatory for all people travelling in the front seat of a car to wear a visor to protect against flying glass from the windshield if it were to break?

NHL players are capaple of making their own decisions, now lets LET them make them!