Blue And White Beat: Visor discussion heats up once more.
The hockey headlines have been inundated over the past several months with the same mantra:
“The NHL needs to protect its players. The league isn’t proactive enough in taking measures to maximize player safety.”
Of course, the talk has been all about head shots and concussions.
However, the topic could just as easily be regarding visors. And, in the wake of the horrific injury to Vancouver Canucks’ forward Manny Malhotra – lost for the rest of the season including playoffs – the debate over mandatory face protection is sure to return to the front burner.
Malhotra was struck in the left eye with a puck that deflected off Colorado Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson’s stick. As much as the Canucks will feel the loss of their third-line centre and leading faceoff man, any permanent vision loss suffered by Malhotra would be far more devastating.
The injury to Malhotra occurred just days after two Leafs players were fortunate enough to escape potentially serious consequences involving their eyes.
In the March 10th loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Mikhil Grabovski scored a rather unconventional goal as the puck went in off his visor. After the game, Toronto coach Ron Wilson said “Thank God he was wearing a shield, which everyone should be doing just for that play there.”
His words could not have been more prophetic.
Just two days later in the Leafs’ win over Buffalo, Tim Brent came perilously close to losing his left eye after being clipped with an errant high stick from Sabres forward Tyler Ennis. The incident prompted Brent to don a visor from now on.
Brent’s change of heart isn’t unique. Former Maple Leaf Brad May, now a broadcaster with Leafs TV, was playing his final NHL season last year with Detroit when he was accidentally struck in the eye by the stick of teammate Jason Williams.
A visor-less player for all but the final six months of his career, May’s close call prompted him to wear a shield.
“If (wearing a visor) was mandatory, then there wouldn’t be a decision, there wouldn’t be a choice, ” May told TMLfans.ca in November 2009, shortly after the near-catastrophe. “Obviously when somebody gets hurt because they’re not wearing one, now it’s like he made the wrong choice.
“That’s like saying not wearing a seat belt, you’re going to be safer. In some cases that’s true. But, seat belts are there for the right reason, as would be visors. But in more cases than not, the visor is going to help, no question.”
A visor saved Mikhail Grabovski.
The lack of one almost disabled Tim Brent.
The hockey community can only pray that the vision returns for Vancouver’s Manny Malhotra.
Let’s also hope that the NHL has the vision to mandate player protection to prevent needless tragedies.
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
Follow TMLfans.ca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmlfansrob
