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up2here

Should Visors Be Mandatory In The NHL

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If the players weren't employees being paid millions of dollars a year to work I'd agree that to some extent it's a personal choice. But let's be honest-- each of these guys represent a pretty sizeable financial investment by the individual owners and in the end it's reasonable to want to protect that investment. You can't tell your boss you refuse to wear a hard hat on the job site because it violates your personal liberty-- you're welcome to quit with your liberty intact but if they're paying you to work on site they have the right to require you to take reasonable safety precautions.

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If the players weren't employees being paid millions of dollars a year to work I'd agree that to some extent it's a personal choice. But let's be honest-- each of these guys represent a pretty sizeable financial investment by the individual owners and in the end it's reasonable to want to protect that investment. You can't tell your boss you refuse to wear a hard hat on the job site because it violates your personal liberty-- you're welcome to quit with your liberty intact but if they're paying you to work on site they have the right to require you to take reasonable safety precautions.

Why not have not wearing a mouthgaurd, neckgaurd, kevlar socks, kevlar wristbands, visors, etc. be part of the insurace premium? That is, each playes insurance payment could be tied to their choice to wear certain safety equipment. AFAIK NHL contracts are not insured this way, but they could be altered to include this. Many employers now offer lower insurance payments for those within a certain BMI range, those who do not smoke, etc.

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If the players weren't employees being paid millions of dollars a year to work I'd agree that to some extent it's a personal choice. But let's be honest-- each of these guys represent a pretty sizeable financial investment by the individual owners and in the end it's reasonable to want to protect that investment. You can't tell your boss you refuse to wear a hard hat on the job site because it violates your personal liberty-- you're welcome to quit with your liberty intact but if they're paying you to work on site they have the right to require you to take reasonable safety precautions.

I'm with the camp that says the more protection these guys have, the more risks they take.

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I'm with the camp that says the more protection these guys have, the more risks they take.

Agreed, Ideally i'd like to go back to the leather/soft pads and we wouldn't have as lethal of hits, but much more bruising.

But for the here and now visors protect against very scary injuries, that would otherwise not be avoidable, it's not like you can position yourself better when you battle Hossa for a puck and get clipped in the eye(Berard), or take a redirect(Staal, Lidstrom etc.). The risk for wearing a visor far outweighs any "inconvenience" a player has, especially now that every player coming into the NHL is used to wearing them.

Fact is these players are worth a ton of money, it's not just about how they feel, it's about the risk the owner takes on giving money to a player that refuses to take a common safety precaution.

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I always go back to the seatbelt laws for automobiles. Sometimes people are too stubborn or stupid to know whats good for them and their safety has to be enforced with laws, or in this case, rules. The "Grown Men making their choice" argument is weak as a kitten in my opinion.

Right, and after one incident these grown men need to be told what's good for them? That sounds like a bit of an elitist view if you ask me, something there is far too much of in our society these days. Everyone's trying to tell others what to do for "their own good".

The reason this accident made the news is because it very rarely happens. If it happened as often as some of you are implying then something would have been done about it years ago.

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I think they should be mandatory. Somehow more than half of the players out there today have gotten used to them and still play just fine; it's time for the minority to get over it. You made it through juniors, college, minors, etc. with a visor; you can make it through the NHL, too. Injuries like Staal's are not common, no, but when it comes to people's eyes, they need to be planning for the worst case scenario. They're one of the few parts on your body that you really don't get a second chance with if the right turn of events comes along. I can maybe see grandfathering in some older guys who have never played with them, but other than that, I think it's something they really need to do.

That said, I'd like to see someone do a little engineering on the things...it sort of defeats the purpose when guys get cut by the edge of the visor. Maybe it's not completely fixable, but I'd like to see them at least come up with some ideas. Same with helmets. I don't expect them to completely cut out concussions with better helmet technology, but I've got to think SOME improvements could be made...that's a tangent for another time, though.

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Grown men shouldn't be told what to do. Personal decision, period.

This is kinda like America forcing you 2 give your money to poor's. If you want to do that give your money to charity. If not keep it.

You're eyes your choice.

And as far as money is concerned hurt players should not be receiving millions, know the risk of being a real athlete.

Edited by wings1110

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Visors should be mandatory for all players entering the league. They're already use to them. There is not a single valid argument of why they shouldn't be mandatory. Players use to be against helmets, but sometimes you need to protect played from themselves.

should be given the choice on helmets to. THEIR HEAD. Survival of the fittest is how life/business/sports work, Hockey used to be a sport for men f*** this safety s*** is getting silly. they make the choice to play the f****** game! Honestly If they want to die due to a hard hit who is the NHL to stop them as long as their not liable for compensation of injured players salary.

And if players didnt get paid while injured maybe they would stop ***** footing around.

Edited by wings1110

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Why does the visor seem to be such a symbol of freedom for many here? Hockey is a game that already is full of rules of what to do and what equipment to use. Now all of a sudden they stop being grown men if the use of a visor isn't their decision anymore.

With all the neanderthal macho stuff that's involved in hockey shouldn't the debate be about cups being mandatory?

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I think that it's inevitable that players switch to visors. I also think that grandfathering it in is the right way to go; players who aren't comfortable with it shoulder the responsibility for their increased risk, and players entering the league who will have already adjusted to it will wear them. There's no perfect form of protection -- the Marc Staal injury would have happened regardless to whether he had a visor, I think, with the crazy carom the puck took -- but there's no reason for players who have worn visors up until the NHL to toss them away when they hit the pros.

Just bear in mind how steeped in tradition this league is. In 1968 there were few players who chose to wear helmets, and even after Bill Masterton died following an incident when his head hit the ice, adoption to helmets were slow. It wasn't until 11 years later that the rules changed. There's a macho culture in the NHL, and some players will refuse to switch. Grandfather it in, let them make their choice for themselves. I hate seeing a player squirming on the ground like what happened to Staal, and I'm sure every other player in the NHL feels the same way. That's why grandfathering it in is the best solution; the older players who aren't comfortable with it don't have to, anybody who's worried can adopt, and new players have to wear the shield.

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What player entering the League today removes the shield?

I presented the stats. Quincey hurt himself, his teammates and the organization.

So much for that deadline #2 for White ....POOF!

(and he will have a shield when he returns, mark my words.)

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