Marc Staal eye injury and the Visor Debate

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Giordano, Wideman, Butler and Glencross.

Glencross wears a visor this season.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by sworkhard

It reduces their peripheral vision. Affects how well you can see the puck when your not looking directly at it, or when it's moving beside you, and also affects how well you can see what players beside you are doing.

And if everyone is wearing one, then nobody is at a disadvantage. But the entire debate on it is silly. Players spend so much time in either a cage or visor already. They wear them in minor and junior hockey. They wear them in college. They wear them in Europe. They wear them in international play. Every single NHL player has worn a visor for significant periods of time. It is ridiculous that they take them off when they get to the NHL.

[awildermode]

Originally Posted by you got PHANUEFED

If these players are to dumb to wear the visors and lose there career over it to bad there fault.

huh?

[Northendzone]

i can understand why a pro would opt not to wear a visior; however, i fail to understand why a rec league player doews not wear one - my logic has always been, I could likely get my teeth fixed - but to the best of my knowledge, nobody is doing eye replacement surgery.

i don't care if a rec guy is wearing a full birdcage, but if the pklayer is one of those guys who stick is usually high then that is bush......

[mac_82]

Originally Posted by transplant99

They can't...it has to be collectively bargained...just as rule changes etc have to be.

Now what I could see happening is that insurance complanies decide not to provide coverage until it is implemented...then the PA would have no choice but to give in. Until then however, this is NOT a league issue but comes down to what the players decide they wish to do.

When helments became mandatory did they have to be bargained in?

[Voodooman]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

There is nothing to debate....

It's a no-brainer.

You hit the nail on the head. It's an issue of no brains. The only thing with less brain power than the individual players is the collective mind of the PA.

I have absolutely no sympathy for guys like Staal, and I don't think it's something that the league should, or should have to, make mandatory. It's an issue of personal protection, different from Flash's examples of bigger cleats and aluminum bats, both of which would present a danger to other players. I agree wholeheartedly with his comment that insurance premiums should go sky high for guys who don't wear visors, or better yet, the insurance company should exclude coverage for injuries caused by preventable causes such as wearing a visor. If that happened, every guy in the league would be wearing one tomorrow.

Bottom line, if these guys are too f'ing stupid to look after their own safety, why should anyone else bother?

[cDnStealth]

Crosby plays just fine with a visor so....

At the end of the day, these guys are really just being short sighted (heh) morons. Forget the millions you could potentially lose if you were to suffer a career ending eye injury. Imagine living the rest of your life without being able to see out of an eye because you valued looking cool over your health.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

It's a no-brainer.

As a lot of the comments during the lockout showed, having no brains is exactly the problem with a lot of players.

Funny that the PA would be against this... you'd think they would be a little more interested in ensuring the safety of their membership.

[SofaProfessor]

If I was making millions of dollars per year at my desk job I would probably wear a visor while I sit in my office. It would suck to lose your eyesight and miss out on x number of years getting paid silly amounts of money just because you chose to skip the added piece of equipment.

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by Voodooman

Bottom line, if these guys are too f'ing stupid to look after their own safety, why should anyone else bother?

Because owners shell out big dollars for these guys to perform. They can't perform if they go down with a preventable injury. If I were an owner I'd be trying to protect my investments by forcing these guys to wear a visor.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by mac_82

When helments became mandatory did they have to be bargained in?

yup (IIRC)...and even then they were grandfathered in and anyone who had already played in the league before that time, hads the option to wear one or not.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

A full face shield might be a better option then. I know it's not "manly", but it would be wise.

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

I finally went back to using a full cage about 2 months ago. I get constant #### from other players, but they can all go eat it,

Already sorted.

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i don't care if a rec guy is wearing a full birdcage, but if the pklayer is one of those guys who stick is usually high then that is bush......

Having your stick up in people's grills is bush, period. Wearing a cage at the same time doesn't make it any better or worse.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by transplant99

yup (IIRC)...and even then they were grandfathered in and anyone who had already played in the league before that time, hads the option to wear one or not.

You recall incorrectly.

Ziegler forced the players to adopt helmets or sign a waiver form to play without one.

Further to that, visors are mandatory at the junior level and the AHL.

Mandatory.

It's symptomatic of the NHL and their approach to rules and regulations that they continue to exert little control over the equipment used by players in their sport.

[Coach]

God some of these players are dumb. Almost all the leagues top players wear visors, and they seem to coordinate just fine. Is it an adjustment? Yah a little. So is trying to see out of one eye.

[Erick Estrada]

The same reason the league had to start making rules that players have to be evaluated after having their bell rung before going back on the ice is the same reason the league and players union has to mandate visors. Not all but many players are only looking at the next shift and aren't thinking long term after hockey when they are in the moment. Sure wearing visors is an adjustment and not quite the same as not wearing them but when they are 40 years old with proper vision in both eyes you will be thankful compared to say Staal if he ends up with long term complications from this incident.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

You recall incorrectly.

Ziegler forced the players to adopt helmets or sign a waiver form to play without one.

Further to that, visors are mandatory at the junior level and the AHL.

Mandatory.

It's symptomatic of the NHL and their approach to rules and regulations that they continue to exert little control over the equipment used by players in their sport.

Right...so it wasnt mandatory. Thanks for clearing that up. Junior players and AHL players are not part of the NHLPA....so that has nothing to do with anything here.

Again, the NHL cannot arbitrarily make this happen (which they would if they could BTW), no matter how many times you say otherwise. The PA on the other hand...can, but wont.


http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2013/3/6...aal-eye-injury

[cDnStealth]

I bet Malhotra was wishing he had worn a visor.

[Clever_Iggy]

Can owners mandate this with individual players? I could see owners demanding that there be a clause in certain players' contracts that requires them to wear a visor based on ownership's investment.

As for the debate, with limited exceptions the best players in hockey wear visors. If they can "adapt" (which is bull for the reasons cited already - they grew up with visors), so can the rest of the idiots on the NHL.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Can owners mandate this with individual players? I could see owners demanding that there be a clause in certain players' contracts that requires them to wear a visor based on ownership's investment.

As for the debate, with limited exceptions the best players in hockey wear visors. If they can "adapt" (which is bull for the reasons cited already - they grew up with visors), so can the rest of the idiots on the NHL.

Doubtful as again it falls under the auspices of a collective agreement.

Jast as an aside, i am all about these guys wearing them, but the facts are the facts, and the league cannot force it. Period.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Right...so it wasnt mandatory. Thanks for clearing that up. Junior players and AHL players are not part of the NHLPA....so that has nothing to do with anything here.

Again, the NHL cannot arbitrarily make this happen (which they would if they could BTW), no matter how many times you say otherwise. The PA on the other hand...can, but wont.


http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2013/3/6...aal-eye-injury

What part of mandatory is unclear about it being mandatory to wear helmets to play in the NHL?

Are you telling me the NHL cannot force a player to wear a helmet right now?

They did, arbitrarily, force players to wear helmets, and any player currently in the league that didn't want to had to sign a waiver for their health in order not to. Further, any player NOT in the league at the time of the rule change was required (mandatory) to wear a helmet if they wanted to play an NHL game.