WHL announces mandatory neck guard protection

[Coconuts]

48 minutes ago, Gurn said:

A former Chief officer I worked with put this as

'It's not the chances of it happening, it is the consequences, if it does".

 

For real, I spent most of last year working as a support worker in a low-barrier supportive housing context working with street entrenched folks who were often actively in addiction. We had an entire binder full of protocols, most of which stemmed from actual scenarios that had occurred. Most had nothing to do with overdosing, drugs, or whatnot, there was just a lot of shit that happened and the site staff adapted on an ongoing basis. Each site had it's own unique protocols in addition to standard protocol. 

 

Adaptation is part of how lives are often saved, or how folks are kept as safe as possible. Sure, a sport that features players firing pucks at high speed and that features physical contact is never going to be completely safe, but there are reasons players have become better protected as time has marched on. 

[Coconuts]

Also worth noting is it's not just driven by teams, leagues, and players. Parents also have a say, and they likely have more of an impact at the junior level, at the end of the day most parents just want their kids to be safe.

 

 

 

[5forFighting]

3 hours ago, Gurn said:

A former Chief officer I worked with put this as

'It's not the chances of it happening, it is the consequences, if it does".

Those people want everyone walking around in giant balls of bubble wrap. Hippos kills more people than any other animals on the planet, we don't immediately set out to kill all the hippos but we tell people "if you go here, and you run into a hippo, there is a chance you will die"

 

We do that with hockey players. A puck, a stick, the boards, a skate etc may hurt or kill you, play at your own risk. It's not everyone else's right or job to protect people from themselves. The game is played a way, players wear a huge amount of equipment (way more than when I played) and if they want to wear neck guards let them, but don't force them. It is one freak injury in all the games... same as a puck killing someone. 

[5forFighting]

2 hours ago, Coconuts said:

 

For real, I spent most of last year working as a support worker in a low-barrier supportive housing context working with street entrenched folks who were often actively in addiction. We had an entire binder full of protocols, most of which stemmed from actual scenarios that had occurred. Most had nothing to do with overdosing, drugs, or whatnot, there was just a lot of shit that happened and the site staff adapted on an ongoing basis. Each site had it's own unique protocols in addition to standard protocol. 

 

Adaptation is part of how lives are often saved, or how folks are kept as safe as possible. Sure, a sport that features players firing pucks at high speed and that features physical contact is never going to be completely safe, but there are reasons players have become better protected as time has marched on. 

So make the boards padded, the goal posts padded, the puck out of a sponge the sticks out of pool noodles? 

 

Neck guards have been around for decades. If guys wanted to wear them, they could. 

[Coconuts]

1 hour ago, 5forFighting said:

So make the boards padded, the goal posts padded, the puck out of a sponge the sticks out of pool noodles? 

 

Neck guards have been around for decades. If guys wanted to wear them, they could. 

 

Hyperbole. I already spoke to this when writing "Sure, a sport that features players firing pucks at high speed and that features physical contact is never going to be completely safe, but there are reasons players have become better protected as time has marched on. ". 

 

And now many players will be wearing them whether they want to or not, I don't have an issue with it. Happened with helmets, happened with visors, we'll see if it happens with neck guards. If folks want to play in x leagues they'll wear the guards, if they don't want to they have the choice to try and play elsewhere. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Coconuts

[NucksRuleYou]

2 hours ago, 5forFighting said:

Those people want everyone walking around in giant balls of bubble wrap. Hippos kills more people than any other animals on the planet, we don't immediately set out to kill all the hippos but we tell people "if you go here, and you run into a hippo, there is a chance you will die"

 

We do that with hockey players. A puck, a stick, the boards, a skate etc may hurt or kill you, play at your own risk. It's not everyone else's right or job to protect people from themselves. The game is played a way, players wear a huge amount of equipment (way more than when I played) and if they want to wear neck guards let them, but don't force them. It is one freak injury in all the games... same as a puck killing someone. 

 

Garbage take is garbage. I suppose you want players to stop wearing helmets, too, and stop being wimps, right?

[Rrodja]

1 death is too many. 1 death Infront of 8000 people with a decent amount of kids present is far too many. These players did ok with neck guards to be drafted into or signed into leagues. It didn't hamper them then. So why not just level the playing field and make them all wear them.

 

To be honest, as with all health and safety issues, insurance will drive this more. Companies won't insure players at reasonable cost if there risk is too high.

 

As the game has changed, so does the protection of the people playing the game.

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

11 minutes ago, Rrodja said:

To be honest, as with all health and safety issues, insurance will drive this more. Companies won't insure players at reasonable cost if there risk is too high.

 

Bruce, there. it. is.  

[5forFighting]

2 hours ago, NucksRuleYou said:

 

Garbage take is garbage. I suppose you want players to stop wearing helmets, too, and stop being wimps, right?

Helmets should be optional. Helmets save lives, neck guards are a knee jerk reaction to a problem that doesn't exist and there is no proof it would have protected this player from what is looking more and more like attempted murder.

[5forFighting]

3 hours ago, Coconuts said:

 

Hyperbole. I already spoke to this when writing "Sure, a sport that features players firing pucks at high speed and that features physical contact is never going to be completely safe, but there are reasons players have become better protected as time has marched on. ". 

 

And now many players will be wearing them whether they want to or not, I don't have an issue with it. Happened with helmets, happened with visors, we'll see if it happens with neck guards. If folks want to play in x leagues they'll wear the guards, if they don't want to they have the choice to try and play elsewhere. 

Welp, coconuts spoke to it, we can all go home. 

[Guitarded]

On 11/1/2023 at 4:41 PM, Bob Long said:

 

Bettman will put ads on it, probably.

 

Tyler Myers would have some serious ad-space. Could increase his trade value. 

[Coconuts]