Sports

Hard heads and heckling hinder hockey helmet debate

In print | March 19, 2009

While some students spent their spring breaks throwing back tropical drinks on a beach in Cancun and others made the world a better place by volunteering for programs in impoverished nations or for soup kitchens, I – predictably for anyone who has read my column before – spent my break watching a lot of hockey.

Since I have pledged my undying love for a West Coast hockey team but attend an East Coast school, I spend most of the year watching games on my 13-inch computer screen. And for those who have not attempted this, let me tell you: the true test of a fan is not the number of games watched or facts memorized, but rather the ability to watch games on a semi-blurry screen dependent on the Swarthmore Internet functioning properly.

Thus I was excited about going home to watch games on a high definition television or, even better, live in the Shark Tank itself. Yet along with the distinctive sounds of sticks on ice and players yelling for passes during the games I enjoyed over break was another unmistakable sound: that of my mother bemoaning the dangerous nature of the sport I love so much every time a player got checked or fell to the ice.

Most sports carry an inherent threat of injury, whether it is tennis elbow or a torn ACL, but ice hockey has always been marked as a particularly dangerous one. This reputation might have been earned because of the sheer number of professional players missing front teeth or the cost of the league’s health insurance, but either way, a glance at the Sharks’ extensive list of injured players as the regular season winds down seems to confirm the public suspicion. The high-speed and full-contact nature of ice hockey makes it hard to avoid most of the dangers related to the sport.
However, there are a few safety precautions that the league could take to protect its players without detracting from the general level of play, many of which have already been implemented at lower levels of play, though not in the NHL. Two of these safety precautions that would be particularly easy to implement and would drastically decrease injuries are the requirement of face shields or masks and a stricter enforcement of the more dangerous penalties like boarding and checking from behind.

Face Shields

Helmets were made a requirement for all new players entering the league in the 1979-80 season, but there were still veterans playing without any protective headgear as recently as 15 years ago. Although this seems to be a needless danger to most people, there still remains a form of pride surrounding players who refuse to wear helmets. This is hard to forget considering the frequency with which announcers comment on the fact that Sharks general manager Doug Wilson was one of the last players to decide to make the switch to wearing a helmet whenever he is featured on a broadcast.

All current players in the league do wear helmets, however there is no requirement for players to wear any form of face shields or masks. These shields and masks have been shown to severely reduce the number of head injuries reported by players, yet still a significant number of NHL players do not wear them.

Several articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association as well as the American Journal of Sports Medicine show that a majority of injuries suffered by hockey players of all ages are facial lacerations and other head and neck injuries and that the requirement of face masks significantly reduced the risks of these types of injuries. These studies also debunked the myth that wearing masks influenced style of play changes that eventually lead to more serious injuries.

The more advanced training becomes and the more sophisticated equipment is, the more protection players need to prevent injuries. It is understandable if players are resistant to wearing full metal masks like those required in intercollegiate play, but there is very little excuse for not wearing face shields.

The first time Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff scored a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist and a fight) was almost the last game he played when an errant slap shot hit him square in the face, breaking his face shield and still cutting his face. This injury could have been far worse than a simple cut if he had not been wearing a mask. Pucks and sticks to the face are part of the game, but they cause needless injuries when face shields are available.

Clear definitions of rules and refs who abide by them

A broadcast does not go by without Sharks announcer Drew Remenda commenting on the ambiguity of the definitions between rules or the seemingly random implementation of them by officials. When Remenda, an ex-coach, is confused about when officials distinguish between a fighting penalty, a roughing penalty, or unsportsmanlike conduct, I can’t imagine that the players committing them have any better understanding.

Hockey doesn’t need more rules. It needs clearer definitions of the rules it already has and consistency amongst officials in calling them. Whenever players drop their gloves, it should be considered a fight, and five-minute major penalties should be awarded.

The league should also consider changing the rule to implement four-on-four play after a fight instead of continuing five-on-five play and simply punishing the fight’s participants. This further discouragement against fighting might be necessary after the public concern over the recent death of a minor league player when his head hit the ice after a fight. While there has been a crackdown on penalties like slashing this season, truly dangerous penalties like boarding and checking from behind are going uncalled.

A study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine showed a distinct decrease in injuries after the 1989 enforcement of the checking from behind rule, but this rule does not do any good if officials do not aggressively enforce it. It is commendable that this rule requires an automatic major penalty, however this should also apply to rules such as boarding, which can be a minor or major penalty determined at the discretion of the referee.

These are not very big changes but ones that could significantly reduce the number of injuries players receive and discourage some of the most dangerous play. Fewer injuries mean some much-needed rest for the team doctors, and more time for fans to enjoy their favorite players on the ice instead of in the training room.