Health Canada prohibits sale of non-certified head/facial protection

[VakarLajos 5]

Bauer (formerly Itech) visor models RBE V and RBE I (CE) are both certified yet they are fixed to the helmet with screws on the temple of the helmet.

I'm not sure how much quicker you'd be able to get those off than you would the non-certified HS22s or non-certified RBE I.

[Law Goalie 147]

Good points on the visors. Sounds like there is a hole there.

My understanding is that the low-end Itechs and even the NV7 were material issues. The 1200/1400 is lexan, which just doesn't cut it for focussed impacts; the NV7 used injection-moulding rather than hand-laying and curing, and really, really cheap polyvinyl resin, which meant that the surface tension couldn't hold up to a significant impact.

I'm also quite sure, having spoken with the officer from Health Canada again, that custom-moulded masks will indeed be illegal to sell or import.

What strikes me as truly bizarre is the case of a company like Sportmask. They make two top-of-the-line models from the same materials: the T3 (standard sizing, ie. S, M, L, etc.) and the Pro Custom. The T3 with a straight-bar cage is a certified mask; the Pro Custom, made from the same materials but to the exact shape of the goalie's head, will be illegal for sale.

The unintended effect of this enforcement is to make the best possible mask-fitting impossible.

Jeff, I know this might be a bit much to ask (Health Canada said they could but would not answer it) but how exactly is a goalie mask tested for the CSA cert? Is it really *just* the drop-test and crush-resistance, or do they do puck-machine testing as well?

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Good points on the visors. Sounds like there is a hole there.

My understanding is that the low-end Itechs and even the NV7 were material issues. The 1200/1400 is lexan, which just doesn't cut it for focussed impacts; the NV7 used injection-moulding rather than hand-laying and curing, and really, really cheap polyvinyl resin, which meant that the surface tension couldn't hold up to a significant impact.

I'm also quite sure, having spoken with the officer from Health Canada again, that custom-moulded masks will indeed be illegal to sell or import.

What strikes me as truly bizarre is the case of a company like Sportmask. They make two top-of-the-line models from the same materials: the T3 (standard sizing, ie. S, M, L, etc.) and the Pro Custom. The T3 with a straight-bar cage is a certified mask; the Pro Custom, made from the same materials but to the exact shape of the goalie's head, will be illegal for sale.

The unintended effect of this enforcement is to make the best possible mask-fitting impossible.

Jeff, I know this might be a bit much to ask (Health Canada said they could but would not answer it) but how exactly is a goalie mask tested for the CSA cert? Is it really *just* the drop-test and crush-resistance, or do they do puck-machine testing as well?

I cant remember how many points of impact but it was enough truly tell if it will break. Again the head forms they use are a standard size head if you buy the mask for a head that it doesnt suit then it doesnt really matter as it will hurt when you get hit.

I may have missed a meeting but I dont recall Pro Masks being illegal?? Just Cat Eye Cages. Non CSA approved masked by Pro Players have been sold for years??? Is there a section I forgot to read in the report?

[cptjeff 0]

Good points on the visors. Sounds like there is a hole there.

My understanding is that the low-end Itechs and even the NV7 were material issues. The 1200/1400 is lexan, which just doesn't cut it for focussed impacts; the NV7 used injection-moulding rather than hand-laying and curing, and really, really cheap polyvinyl resin, which meant that the surface tension couldn't hold up to a significant impact.

I'm also quite sure, having spoken with the officer from Health Canada again, that custom-moulded masks will indeed be illegal to sell or import.

What strikes me as truly bizarre is the case of a company like Sportmask. They make two top-of-the-line models from the same materials: the T3 (standard sizing, ie. S, M, L, etc.) and the Pro Custom. The T3 with a straight-bar cage is a certified mask; the Pro Custom, made from the same materials but to the exact shape of the goalie's head, will be illegal for sale.

The unintended effect of this enforcement is to make the best possible mask-fitting impossible.

Jeff, I know this might be a bit much to ask (Health Canada said they could but would not answer it) but how exactly is a goalie mask tested for the CSA cert? Is it really *just* the drop-test and crush-resistance, or do they do puck-machine testing as well?

I cant remember how many points of impact but it was enough truly tell if it will break. Again the head forms they use are a standard size head if you buy the mask for a head that it doesnt suit then it doesnt really matter as it will hurt when you get hit.

I may have missed a meeting but I dont recall Pro Masks being illegal?? Just Cat Eye Cages. Non CSA approved masked by Pro Players have been sold for years??? Is there a section I forgot to read in the report?

The part where you have to pay to get each shell design certified, as mentioned earlier in the thread. And since each custom is a new shell from a new mold, you would have to pay for certification on each one. And with the new law, It would be illegal to sell them with out certification to anybody but a pro, effectively banning custom fit masks for anybody but a pro.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I don't know what the process is in Canada, but I hope this would be challenged in court.

[Law Goalie 147]

I actually got it straight from Health Canada: a custom-moulded mask, unless you pay to have that single shell/cage combo CSA-approved, is illegal under the HPA. If they haven't tested that shell-shape with that particular cage, no matter what the materials or who made it, it's illegal.

That's what I mean when I said it was unintentional: they were going after cat-eyes and accidentally wiped out a smaller but arguably more significant section of the market. ALL non-CSA masks will be banned from sale and import.

The problem is that it won't be challenged to any great extent because there is so little money and so few people involved. Goalies are a tiny subsection of the hockey market already. Professionals are exempt, which cuts it down even further. Custom masks generally happen outside retail (with the exceptions of Itech and Sportmask, where you have to go through a dealer), so no store owners are going to make a fuss. This leaves two groups with an interest in the process: the makers and wearers of custom masks. Several of the makers have said they don't really care: their main markets are in the US and Europe, so they'll just let Canada go. The few that operate in Canada are probably just going to close up shop.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I actually got it straight from Health Canada: a custom-moulded mask, unless you pay to have that single shell/cage combo CSA-approved, is illegal under the HPA. If they haven't tested that shell-shape with that particular cage, no matter what the materials or who made it, it's illegal.

That's what I mean when I said it was unintentional: they were going after cat-eyes and accidentally wiped out a smaller but arguably more significant section of the market. ALL non-CSA masks will be banned from sale and import.

The problem is that it won't be challenged to any great extent because there is so little money and so few people involved. Goalies are a tiny subsection of the hockey market already. Professionals are exempt, which cuts it down even further. Custom masks generally happen outside retail (with the exceptions of Itech and Sportmask, where you have to go through a dealer), so no store owners are going to make a fuss. This leaves two groups with an interest in the process: the makers and wearers of custom masks. Several of the makers have said they don't really care: their main markets are in the US and Europe, so they'll just let Canada go. The few that operate in Canada are probably just going to close up shop.

Ok now I know what your referring to it is any person playing minor hockey under Hockey Canada may not wear a Non-CSA approved goal mask. If there is something further to that I will check with the gentleman from HC that sits on the board to confirm.

However.......its not stupid when you get some guys that are cutting corners......and if there is a guy here or there that makes a mask here or there for a guy maybe he should just go work for a major company its not like they dont need good goal masks in the industry?

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

I don't like how this ruling will put many goaltenders in less safe equipment. :(

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I don't like how this ruling will put many goaltenders in less safe equipment. :(

All one has to do is buy a better approved mask were is the issue???

[Law Goalie 147]

There is no approved mask as protective as a custom-moulded mask made from 5+ sheets of aramid (with a single top-layer of fibreglass for finishing). Not the Itech 960/1 nor any other retail mask can bear up to that standard: partly because the fit will never be as exact (unless you happen to be a perfect match for the factory mould), partly because the materials are too expensive and difficult to work with, and partly because the level of craftsmanship simply isn't there in a mass-produced mask. A custom 960/1 made by Jerry Wright himself - sure.

I'm not saying that all retail masks are crap, that Sportmask doesn't make a good product, or anything like that. I've owned several retail masks, all of which were somewhat successful. This isn't 1960 - retired goaltenders don't sit around in dank bars trying to remember their names and how many toes they have. The standard of protection probably hasn't been this high in the history of goaltending - except, perhaps, about ten years ago when Dillon, Cubberly, Armadilla and Harrison were still as available as Itech.

I also absolutely agree that cat-eye cages have no place in recreational hockey. They offer a tiny advantage is SOME areas of the visual field at the risk of catastrophic eye injury and diminished cage-strength. I've always worn a straight-bar cage.

However, this interpretation of the HPA does and will render all custom-made masks illegal for sale. Thus, it reduces the maximum level of protection available to goalies.

More to the point, the CSA has certified unsafe masks before, and will do again. I, for one, would rather keep my brain intact than lose my wits in tiny increments every time I take a shot to the head, or all of them in one catastrophic off-angle shot to the temple. Where goaltenders are concerned, the CSA provides two things: the illusion of safety, and an avenue of legal recourse in the event of serious injury. While I can understand Health Canada's interest in both of those, I'd much rather be physically protected a priori than have legal protection after the fact.

[Law Goalie 147]

Sorry, missed this earlier...

I cant remember how many points of impact but it was enough truly tell if it will break.

If you could look up more on this, that would be terrific Specifically:

What kind of impacts are they using (how much force, what projectile, etc.)?

Are they *only* testing for breaking of the shell, or are they also measuring and graphing (ie. focussed or diffused) the force translated through the shell to the head?

Again the head forms they use are a standard size head if you buy the mask for a head that it doesnt suit then it doesnt really matter as it will hurt when you get hit.

Bingo. And while stock fittings work fairly well most of the time, they are almost never optimal and can be exposed.

[epstud74 24]

I've never played goalie, but are the majority of goalie helmets custom fitted for the upper tier players?

[IniNew 53]

I've never played goalie, but are the majority of goalie helmets custom fitted for the upper tier players?

I believe it goes along the same lines as custom skates. Stock fit well; great in some cases, but if you have the money, custom is the way to go.

[Law Goalie 147]

Not really... pretty well every NHL goalie mask is made to a head-mold. Price insists on using a stock 961 for dubious reasons.

Your brain and your feet have very different tolerances.

For consumers, the other major issue is material. Most large-scale mask makers use a minimum of aramid (eg. Kevlar or Twaron) for two reasons: it's a pain in the ass to work with in full sheets, and it's damned expensive. As a result, most will only use patches in critical areas like the forehead and chin. The other problem is that most big companies are incredibly cagey about what resins they're using, and in many cases, it's because they've switched to a lower-quality epoxy, or even worse, to much cheaper poly-ester or vinyl-ester resins.

If I walked into a retail shop today and bought an Itech 960 (which *appears* to be the most common mask in the NHL, until you take head-molds and materials into account), I'd be spending $800+ CAD for a mask that's pretty solid but a shadow of its former self. For $600 CAD, I have a custom mask with five full layers of aramid + three extra layers in the forehead and chin, with fibreglass finishing on the top and bottom layers, using the best quality epoxy resin money can buy, made by a guy who's been making NHL masks for twenty years.