Close call- thank god for cages

[gagner89 0]

I play more aggresive with a cage.

Or so I've been told. Must be psychological...

Now that I play in a highly competitive league, I want to wear a cage but it's so stigmatized that I can't.

[scorer75 9]

Last night I got by the left D so he tried to stick check me and missed my stick, I took the blade of his stick right in my cage.

It was a hard enough shot that my first reaction was to reach up and cover my face, then I realized I was wearing a cage and nothing had happened. He was apologetic and in no way did I assume he meant to hit me in the face.

After the game he came over to apologize again and told me how thankful he was that I was wearing a cage.

On a lighter note, I was practicing my snap shot last week. I came in from the blue line crossing through the circle from left to right and took a snap shot labeled for the top right corner. I hit the post square on but the shot was so hard it deflected off the post and came right back at me hitting me in the cage. How embarrassing would it have been get hurt off your own shot?

My cage is staying, period.

[gagner89 0]

I've only seen a shot rebound into someone like that in a movie... that must be hard to do!

[danielb 0]

Now that I play in a highly competitive league, I want to wear a cage but it's so stigmatized that I can't.

Would a full face shield like the Itech Concept II or a hybrid combo shield be more acceptable in that league? It would suck to have choose to either not play or play without a cage due to folk being anti-cage, thankfully I've not encountered that so far.

As a side note is it even allowable (or acceptable) to force a player to remove their cage?

[houk 0]

I was at a tournament this past weekend and our team was laughed at for having cages. The way I see it, its only rec hockey and not worth losing an eye or teeth over.

[danielb 0]

The way I see it, its only rec hockey and not worth losing an eye or teeth over.

Exactly, everyone has a different concept of acceptable risk and in my opinion no one should ever be forced to cross that personal limit without extremely good reason. At the end of the day the difference between a minor facial injury (bruised or cut cheek) and a catastrophic injury (e.g loss of an eye) is a couple of inches, some folk will always find that type of risk unacceptable and some will always find it acceptable.

For the record I am in the full face protection camp, the concept of life after the loss of an eye is horrific to me so for me and a full face guard is the best way to protect against it while still enjoying the sport I love.

[chippa13 1844]

Wearing a cage is fine, but I find that most guys in my leagues that do wear them are the ones irresponsible with their sticks and play with a general lack of respect for other guys out there.

[wc19 1]

during a warm up one of my teammates took a hard snapper that hit the crossbar and then came out and hit one of the teammates in the face. Resulted in a cracked cheekbone and quite a bit of blood. But yeah same here when I play with a cage I tend to play more aggressive as well.

[TheBert 0]

Equivalent to the automobile's "front/side/ass airbags = more aggressive driving"?

[psh 25]

Wearing a cage is fine, but I find that most guys in my leagues that do wear them are the ones irresponsible with their sticks and play with a general lack of respect for other guys out there.

That does happen, but I've found that a fair number of the half-shield and no-shield guys are equally, if not more, reckless in their play than the caged skaters. And if you think about it, it makes sense. A guy who opts for the cage is probably more careful or conservative by nature. And a guy without a cage is going to be a little more willing to take risks.

In any event, I don't really care what my opponents or team mates wear. The only time I get frustrated is if a guy without a cage (or without full pads) gets upset at someone else for shooting top shelf. That is ridiculous--the game is played with a hard puck and if you don't dress to protect yourself from shots, that was your choice. The rest of the skaters shouldn't have to alter their game for how one guy dresses.

I'm a cage for life guy after 8 years of a visor. A helmet to the mouth, an emergency room visit, and a few thousand dollars of oral surgery that neither dental nor health insurance would cover made that decision easy.

[Patrick67 1]

Sadly I know I'll be playing without a cage until the day I get my teeth knocked out...

[mrusse01 0]

Last shift of the game earlier this week at an 11:30pm (always has to be the late game right?) game and I got my feet pitchforked out from under me along the board battling the for puck...don't really know how I didn't get my hands out but I landed face first, visor hit the ice but must have pushed my helmet up and I ended up slamming my right eyebrow on the ice.

Cut it open pretty badly. Went to the ER for 2 or 3 stitches but it was a friggin dog show there and I'm not waiting 6 hours at 1 in the morning so I just taped it up and it's healing pretty well I think. Look like a goon though in the office, haha.

Thinking about going back to the full cage, but it's been 4 or 5 years now and I don't know how used to it I will be.

[chippa13 1844]

Wearing a cage is fine, but I find that most guys in my leagues that do wear them are the ones irresponsible with their sticks and play with a general lack of respect for other guys out there.

That does happen, but I've found that a fair number of the half-shield and no-shield guys are equally, if not more, reckless in their play than the caged skaters. And if you think about it, it makes sense. A guy who opts for the cage is probably more careful or conservative by nature. And a guy without a cage is going to be a little more willing to take risks.

It actually seems to work the other way. Guys with cages are more reckless because they feel protected with the cage on.

[mrusse01 0]

I get really pissed at guys who wear the cage and are into every scrum with their sticks/hands high, acting like the toughest guys in the world.

I don't care if you play hard between the whistles, but in my opinion if you've got a cage on you really should stay out of anything after the whistle as much as possible.

[mack 44]

That's why I liked playing with guys I knew, guys with respect and talent. I never felt like I had to have a visor on but then I come back up here and it's hackville, USA. Birdcages swinging they're sticks around like they're goddamn Conan the Barbarian, not giving a shit who's around them.

[danielb 0]

I personally think attempting to correlate the presence or absence of full facial protection with aggressive and/or reckless behaviour is a bit of a red herring, there are too many incidental and subjective factors involved to make a sound hypothesis for either case. However it should certainly not be the case that wearing (or not wearing) facial protection is seen or used as a excuse for endangering others with reckless play.

In other news, I just saw a clip of the Bell hit on Alfredsson, it looked like there was a player with a cage on in that game. Can anyone shed any more light on it? I'm quite pleased to see someone has finally overcome the stigma of wearing a cage in the NHL, maybe we will see more cages or full shields in the future and maybe it will become more acceptable in the more hardcore leagues to wear full face protection?

[number21 3]

In other news, I just saw a clip of the Bell hit on Alfredsson, it looked like there was a player with a cage on in that game. Can anyone shed any more light on it? I'm quite pleased to see someone has finally overcome the stigma of wearing a cage in the NHL, maybe we will see more cages or full shields in the future and maybe it will become more acceptable in the more hardcore leagues to wear full face protection?

only injured guys can wear cages in the nhl with special permission.

(learned here)

[chippa13 1844]

NHLers wear them to protect an injury. The first that I remember seeing in a full cage was Thornton after Lindros shattered him. Head going down and fist coming up is never a good combination.

[danielb 0]

only injured guys can wear cages in the nhl with special permission.

(learned here)

Why is special permission required for cages if visors are already worn by allot of players or do visors require permission too?

[chippa13 1844]

Ever seen a guy with a cage run into a guy without one. The cage does some damage.

[NJ35 0]

yeah I had a freight train collision with a 6'4" 275 lb former semi pro and my visor/helmet clipped me in the nose. I needed 2 stitches but the ER didn't give them to me. In my defense, I knocked him on his ass and I'm 5'10" but needless to say the cage is back on.

BUT i did get taken down in the next game and my shoulder got dislocated. So, it all sucks in the end

[chef_ducky 0]

Mara is wearing one on the Rangers right know!

[Patrick67 1]

I've seen guy's using their cages as weapons.

One of my friends is 6'6 and got a head butt to the ribs by a little pitbull terrier (5'5 steroid nutball).

Had visable cage markings after the game...

[ean 0]

I was playing pickup today and got a high stick to the jaw...I thought of this thread! I just barely got a little cut on me, barely any blood though...

And of course the guy who perpetrated it had a cage on...

[lotus 2]

Got ran into by a teammate in open hockey a few days ago. I tried to dodge him but it was way too late, he had the deer in headlights thing going. Caught either a shoulder or elbow to the head..

Don't remember if it actually knocked my helmet 100% off but I remember the chinstrap hitting my nose, and skating slowly to the bench with my helmet in my hand after that. No dizziness or stars etc, but headaches =[ still. Been taking it a little easy.

No cage there and I would have either had a broken nose, lost a bunch of teeth, been knocked unconscious, or all the above.