No doubt the players on the group (including captain Justin Wallingford and ex-Fronts Cory Emmerton and Bobby Hughes) have some valid concerns, but you know what else is a valid concern? Getting a major artery cut. Still, they make a powerful case:
"...if you want to wear neckgaurds, just go to the Q."Insinuating the French are less than manly. They're the first people to think of that in history.
(UPDATE: The rule is a go, starting March 10. So how many games would Wallingford, as an overager on a non-playoff team, have to wear a neckguard?)
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4 comments:
Kind of funny to hear some of the excuses.
I saw some comments on tsn and I guess Mr. Stevens will be pumping gas next week.
Yeah the neckguard is annoying, but its not like you can't get used to it. Last i checked it doesn't affect your ability to skate of shoot a puck.
I guess they are all worried about "Looks" then screw them, thats not an excuse. Maybe next the OHL should look into forcing them to go to school to learn what an artery is.
It wouldn't be the first time hockey players were resistant to change...
... by the way, the OHL does require players to be in school or working full-time, I do believe.
Here's the other odd thing about these kids (and yes, most are still young enough to be called that) and their anti-neck guard stance....
They all grew up playing with them in minor hockey, the only difference now is the fact the officials will enforce the rule that the neck guards will be worn and worn properly - unlike the majority of elite Bantam and Midget aged players who cut, alter or otherwise make the neck guards completely ineffective simply because they and their coaches "believe" it hinders them in some way.
Speaking from experience here as a former elite goaltender, a current referee of nearly three decades and trained paramedic --- the hardest thing to see is someone bleeding out, dying right there in front of your eyes...and then knowing that if one piece of safety equipment - be it a neck guard or seatbelt - were used properly, they'd still be there to talk to you.....
I've seen a lot of things in my time, on and off the ice, and if the slight inconvenience (if you can call a neck guard that) saves mine or someone else's life....even once....that's enough for me to see it become mandatory.
With the Q and the O doing that with these wonderful pieces of safety gear, let's just hope the W follows suit come next season.
The last thing I'm certain anyone in hockey wants to see is some KID die because of something that was preventable.
And Sager....considering the players that are advocating this are from a "certain" team, would it be too far fetched to say they might have been proded into this stance a bit as a "cost-saving" measure by management????
From a fellow sports writer, thankful for the time his neck guard did its job....
Good feedback, N.R.
(Though I would doubt the team did any prodding, since 2 of the 3 guys are now with other organizations... probably they hatched it over Facebook or MSN or some other communications platform I haven't heard about.)
It's hilarious Wallingford is involved... he's an overager on a non-playoff team, so he's going to have to wear a neckguard for 4 games. He's also 6-foot-7.
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