Wearing a Mask in Beer League?

[Dante2004 0]

I wear a cage and have for several years.  Too many benders swinging their sticks all over the place...my "tough guy" days are long gone...I have to go to work in the morning and want to still have all my teeth...and the tiny difference it makes in my visibility that could make the difference between me being a "top player" and getting cut is a distant concern.

 

Just my $0.02

[YesLanges 127]

I took a very hard clearing flip flush about 2 weeks ago that would have been at least a few teeth with my half shield. The last time I wore a visor in a game was about 2 years ago for one game. There was one guy who had a beef with me (for holding his stick when we both got to a puck, exactly the way he did to me about 20 seconds earlier after he lost a face-off) who I thought might want to carry that over to our next game from the way he slashed me a few shifts later; so I switched back to a visor to match his for the next game, just in case, so we could get it over with if he really wanted to. 

[chippa13 1844]

Anyone who carries anything over to the next game in beer league doesn't understand beer league.

[BenBreeg 493]

14 minutes ago, chippa13 said:

Anyone who carries anything over to the next game in beer league doesn't understand beer league.

Unfortunately, there are many who fit this description.

[YesLanges 127]

2 hours ago, chippa13 said:

Anyone who carries anything over to the next game in beer league doesn't understand beer league.

Agreed, but IMO, anybody who takes an aggressive slash at someone a couple of shifts after having his stick held for a few seconds sort of playfully (especially, after having just done the exact same thing to that guy on the previous face-off) is exactly the type who just might carry it over. This guy can't claim the excuse of ignorance either, because he's a very experienced and good player who played Juniors in Massachusetts and beer league for at least 40 years. Also, to be entirely fair, when you play year after year with and against the same core group of about 100 guys, there are sometimes a few guys who do develop long-term dislikes for one another; in fact, a couple of them have always had to be placed on the same team for years, because the league considers that safer than having them play against one another. Nothing happened, but I figured if he wanted to go that route, might as well just get it over with and then move on afterwards.

[taporsnap17 1]

Where whatever you want.

 

I went from cage to half visor and took a stick to the face for the first time.

[FlyChicaga 21]

I have been in a visor for the past 12-15 years. I'd occasionally throw on a cage for a came after a close call, but then I'd hate it and revert back to the visor. I had some cuts and fat lips, but thankfully no lost teeth. I just love the vision with the visor. That said, I just recently went back to a cage. I play defense in C leagues, and I found I was getting less and less aggressive on D, for fear of having a puck ride up and get me right in the mouth. Also, I was less interested in board battles after several errant sticks and elbows caught me in the face. I finally decided enough was enough, I'm going with the cage, so I can focus on the game and stop worrying about protecting my mouth. Since I did, I've been more relaxed and enjoying my games a lot more. I just can't trust guys won't sail a puck high on a shot, or swing their stick around like a madman. When I was playing with a bunch of skilled guys in drop-ins, I was much less concerned, since guys shots were controlled and the great majority wore visors, so they controlled their sticks.

I'd say wear whatever the heck you want. Just understand the consequences of wearing one thing versus another.

[JoeyJ0506 192]

I was firmly in the visor camp until I got the dental bill for fixing the tooth that got knocked out by a high-stick... Call me a hypocrite, but the cost of the cages I have on my helmets now was way less than the dental repairs.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

There's always going to be risks involved in this crazy sport. I might say you're nuts but I'll never chirp you for doing something I'd never ever do. To bring this into my own world I know there are a number of things I could do to make myself safer (wearing a certified goalie cage and a dangler are the two that come to mind) but that's an acceptable risk to me!