Ouch!

[clearlybetter11 18]

Ryan Getzlaf takes a puck to his forehead after Doan's shot redirected off Fowler's stick. Makes you wonder how some of these guys can play the game without a visor. While its never good to see a player get hit like that, it was nice to see the sportsmanship of all the players including Doan making sure the refs blew the whistle. Would you guys play without a visor if you were in the NHL?

[Guest Stolberg]

getzlaf piñatas in a store near you

[puckloo39 5,686]

ooooww!!! I can't stand GetsLaugh but I hope he's OK. Geez, that had to hurt so bad...

[brett 1,029]

its quite incredible that it doesnt happen more often, that was a good amount of blood

[Gordie Howe hat trick 110]

Puss, Drapes scores when he gets hit in the face with the puck. Or was it Franzen?

Edited December 31, 2010 by Gordie Howe hat trick

[Rivalred 630]

Ouch, that had to hurt. Hope he will be ok

[Barrie 900]

Puss, Drapes scores when he gets hit in the face with the puck. Or was it Franzen?

Yea it was Draper, Game 6 of the 2008 WCF against Dallas. It bent back some of his teeth.

Personally I wouldn't wear a visor if I was in the NHL, but wouldn't call anyone a wuss if they did. I believe the players when they say a visor effects their vision. Plus having it fog up half why through a shift, especially with the speed the game is played at is unsafe.

I guess I would pick my poison, and risk being hit in the face with the puck (which would still hurt with a visor on) over having vision problems at any moment.

[Rick Zombos Ghost 82]

hes on IR with broken sinus bones. i can only imagine how gross that must be. i guess he was swallowing so much blood it was making him sick.

[Mitchmac33 103]

Yea it was Draper, Game 6 of the 2008 WCF against Dallas. It bent back some of his teeth.

Personally I wouldn't wear a visor if I was in the NHL, but wouldn't call anyone a wuss if they did. I believe the players when they say a visor effects their vision. Plus having it fog up half why through a shift, especially with the speed the game is played at is unsafe.

I guess I would pick my poison, and risk being hit in the face with the puck (which would still hurt with a visor on) over having vision problems at any moment.

Brand new visors (which i only assume they get every game) are very difficult to fog up. Even used ones now don't fog up that easy. From my experience with them they only fog while on the bench so really the only danger (for fog) would be not wiping it down and going out and not being able to see.

Needless to say yes i would wear a visor. Thinking about it look at people like Nick or Stevie. Both started out not wearing visors and both have switched to it. I guess some people would say that is getting wiser with age?

[Nev 1,085]

Draper, Cleary, Yzerman + Lidstrom all went without visors....until they got hit in the face with a puck. There's such a lot of macho BS around visors in the NHL. Your eyes are totally irreplacable. I have to wear eye protection as part of my job all day every day.......no-one thinks I'm a wuss for protecting my eyes.

As for visors fogging up, the answer (and the best protection) comes from wearing a face cage, but then your fellow pros really will think you're a wuss.....yet almost all the players at my local level here wear them.

[Norwegian Red Wing 107]

ouch.. that must have hurt.

[Gizmo 21]

I believe the players when they say a visor effects their vision. Plus having it fog up half why through a shift, especially with the speed the game is played at is unsafe.

And some people say that wearing seat belts affects their driving, some audiophiles claim that CDs can't touch vinyl for music, etc., etc. No doubt some players griped when the NHL made them wear helmets (probably complained about all the excess sweat getting in their eyes and affecting their vision too). As for the visors, getting a new pair of prescription glasses will affect your vision too... but your eyes/brain will adapt to the new "look" in about a day. My guess is that visors are the same. Your eyes will adjust... assuming you still have a functional eye, that is. Your vision is probably your most vulnerable sense. I wish more people would treat it that way.

Ryan seems he may have gotten "lucky", the slo-mo appears to show that one edge of the puck caught the lip of the helmet. If so, the helmet took some of the impact.

Edited December 31, 2010 by Gizmo

[newfy 695]

Visors should always be the players choice. There are instances where visors cause injuries as well. I personally dont wear one because you can see a hell of a lot better without it but if someone in the NHL does I dont look down on them for it. (Unless they always are picking fights and leaving a visor on)

[Guest mindfly]

Getzlaf will look weird in a visor

[Gizmo 21]

Visors should always be the players choice. There are instances where visors cause injuries as well.

I'm not saying they should be mandated either, I just think that people that don't wear are short-sighted (a fitting pun in some cases). Seat belt use can also worsen an injury in some cases, but the odds of protection are greatly in your favor for buckling up. And even in some cases where there is "injury" it might be better than if the player hadn't been wearing one. Take Helm's nose a couple of games ago when he was checked from behind into the boards. The visor bowed in and gashed his nose, but it likely saved a far worse facial injury and possible fracture.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Personally, I wouldn't wear a visor. I've tried playing with one on before, and the vision deal bothered me. I can understand where people want to protect themselves, but there are instances where visors cause injuries, although rather uncommon. I believe players should have the choice on whether to wear one or not. More and more young players are wearing them. I'd say probably half of the players in the league wear one and half don't. The only thing that really drives me insane are players that run around and start fights and they hide under the visor. I'd be shocked if Getzlaf came back not wearing one.

[Guest mindfly]

Hudler got the taste of visor injury, cutting his face open:

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Hudler got the taste of visor injury, cutting his face open:

Yeah it does happen. I've seen a few incidents of where sticks get caught up in a guy's visor, obviously putting the guy's eyes at danger, so it has its pros and cons.

[Gizmo 21]

re: Hudler... Yeah, there was a lot of blood, but did you hear the commentator's amazement that Hudler was able to get back up after that hit? You think perhaps the visor absorbing some of the impact might have been a factor in Happy not getting knocked out cold or concussed? If Brown had make contact with Hudler's bare nose or eyebrow, don't you think that there'd still have been a mess on the ice?