AHL Visor Rule

[chef_ducky 0]

Couldn't find the actual picture but it is on the AHL Homepage. It is the third pic. What is the point of inforcing the rule if players are going to wear it like that

http://www.theahl.com/home/

[TheBert 0]

The Marlies player, right? I thought he was wearing his helmet tilted up, but the visor looks like it's mounted on something ridiculous.

[RadioGaGa 162]

That's his way around the rule. Bates is an NHL veteran who never wore a visor...in the "A" he HAS too...so he wears it like that. It's guys who CHOOSE to wear one, and wear them like that, that annoys me.

[chef_ducky 0]

I am in 100% aggreyance. But why enforce the rule if that is going to happen. There should be some sort of ruling as to how much of the face it has to cover.

[msander 0]

That would be an incredibly arbitrary and impossible standard to enforce.

[TheBert 0]

Is it a stretch to just word the rule as "mount your visor on properly"?

[RadioGaGa 162]

That would be an incredibly arbitrary and impossible standard to enforce.

Not really. No different than a stick or other piece of "illegal" equipment. At a stoppage, refs looks at visors. If it isn't down in front of the face...guy is either tossed off the ice, or given a penalty - illegal equip.

[AndTheySayChiCity 0]

this guy right?

it's an accessory for his forehead. :)

he looks like a damn fool.

[pat19 0]

I am in 100% aggreyance. But why enforce the rule if that is going to happen. There should be some sort of ruling as to how much of the face it has to cover.

why? who cares?

[sdcopp 1]

9.5 Protective Equipment -

All players of both teams shall wear a helmet and clear protective

visor of design, material and construction acceptable to the

Competition Committee at all times while participating in a game,

either on the playing surface or the players’ or penalty benches. The

helmet and visor must not be worn tilted back such that the protective

capacity (integrity) of the visor is diminished. Improper positioning of

the visor will result in a warning to the player with the second or

subsequent violation resulting in the player being assessed a misconduct penalty. While the choice of visor model and manufacturer

is left to the player, it is recommended that for optimal protection the

bottom of the visor come to the tip of the nose.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I wonder if that is the original wording of the rule...or an add-on, after the way some guys have worn them?

[sdcopp 1]

it's the current rule, probably changed a few times to suit the needs

[chef_ducky 0]

I am in 100% aggreyance. But why enforce the rule if that is going to happen. There should be some sort of ruling as to how much of the face it has to cover.

why? who cares?

AHL i am assumong, hence the rule. It is not that I care, I am just making a point that a rule is not being followed.

[Viking 1]

What they really should do is put it in a player's contract that if they are injured due to improperly worn, or inadequate equipment (i.e. that visor, chin strap not tight enough) that they are entitled to no salary or insurance money. If you work on a construction site, and you're mandated to wear steel toed boots, but you wear Crocs, and you get your toes crushed, I imagine that's considered nobody's responsibility but your own. If that guy gets his eyes poked out, it's nobody's fault but his.

[chef_ducky 0]

That is a very good point, except that would never happen. Like said, their is no justification on how to where it, so Players could even say that that was having his face covered!

[hotsauce 0]

a linemate of mine does the same thing b/c one league requires face protection (visor/cage). i jus laugh when he gets hit in the face

[strosedefence34 175]

i find it ironic because most of the visors these days are optically correct. I wear an oakley pro straight and when its on if it doesn't have ice or sweat on it I don't even notice it being there. So a player in the AHL who don't even have to wipe their own visor off all he has to do is throw it to the equipment manager and he is having trouble wearing one that covers their eyes. Further more someone who doesn't have to pay for them so if they get scratched all he has to do is tell equipment manager and bang new visor for game time.

[SuperMan3 1]

Yeah, but he never wore a visor before, so its probably different for him, maybe he doesn't want anything there at all? Wearing it like that is like not wearing a visor at all, just like he used to do in the NHL, so why should they even care how they wear their equipment.

[hockechamp14 0]

the rule is for guys like bobby ryan, not a 33 year old 6th round pick, who's already played 580 NHL games, they have no reason to care about him disobeying the rule.

[Viking 1]

Yeah, but he never wore a visor before, so its probably different for him

He would have worn a full cage in minor hockey, and a visor in junior. And it's not like these things are hard to see through or something. And it's not like he wore that visor in junior either - the visors worn by junior players are, and have been for a long time about the biggest and most protective visors on the market. They're giving him the choice of what visor to wear (even though some of them, like the Oakley small straight really are not protective enough for my liking - I'm not saying everyone should look like Dany Heatley, but it would still be pretty easy to lose an eye in one of those things), and the only thing they should ask is that it actually cover his eyes.

This visor rule is to protect players from their own idiocy, but it's not doing it if they can wear them like that. If you think about it logically, there is absolutely no good reason not to wear one. Hockey teams really should not be held responsible legally or financially if these idiot players willfully neglect to wear safety equipment to do their jobs. Visors were invented so players could have the option to protect their eyes and faces - the reduction of highly probable eye/facial injuries should be enough to make anyone with a brain wear one. But add on top of that that every player in the NHL has played in a major junior or other league that has mandated the use of a visor, so they've already worn one and had a chance to get comfortable with it. And then professional hockey adopts the same rule (now pretty much every hockey league on earth other than the NHL), and mandates that every player must wear one, and these guys STILL aren't smart enough to know that having to wear this thing is for their own good? If all of that has happened, and that much has been done to tell you that you need this thing, and you still don't get it, I don't know how anyone can help you more than that. If you do that, and you lose your eyes, your health, and your livelihood, you got nothing less than you deserved, because everyone who could did everything possible to protect you.

[brettlynch11 0]

The fact of the matter is that it should be players preference. There is no way someone should be forced to wear something like that when they hadn't their whole career. It's just like with the first and third base coaches in baseball now having to wear helmets. If they don't want to be protected, they shouldn't have to be. It seems like pro sports are way overconcened with injuries anymore.

[chef_ducky 0]

The fact of the matter is that it should be players preference. There is no way someone should be forced to wear something like that when they hadn't their whole career. It's just like with the first and third base coaches in baseball now having to wear helmets. If they don't want to be protected, they shouldn't have to be. It seems like pro sports are way overconcened with injuries anymore.

Then MacTavish would still not be wearing a helmet

[kosydar 0]

Behind the bench? Mandatory equipment rules are retarded. If someone doesn't want to wear something (including a helmet), its his own fault if he gets hurt. So long as the league isn't liable, there shouldn't be any problem.

[DavidT 11]

That's how I wear my visor in our roller hockey house league since for whatever reason they make us wear them.

[chippa13 1844]

Looks like Crosby and Ovechkin have trouble playing with visors.