talkinaway
Registered User
I can't understand why players don't wear mouth guards to protect teeth. I only seen loui Eriksson wear it.
Huh, I thought they were required, but I guess they're not. (Thought experiment: This actually makes sense, because of Marchand's licking habit - no mouth guard = easy access.) I see players playing with their mouth guards all the time during breaks in the action...and I've always noticed Chara's distinctive guard, with something weird and metallic-colored over where his incisors are...
There's probably insufficient evidence on whether mouth guards help prevent (or mitigate) concussions, but lack of evidence doesn't mean they don't help - it just means it hasn't been studied enough. And they sure as hell prevent Scattered Teeth Syndrome. As long as there are no side effects, I agree...they probably should be worn, but the NHLPA will be against it, wanting "player autonomy". And I can't imagine it's particularly comfortable wearing a mouth guard for the better part of 3 hours.
In terms of concussion prevention, it really, really annoys me that the NHL doesn't have a "no helmet, no puck" rule. NCAA, IIHF, and AHL all have this rule. NCAA even has a whistle for any player's helmet coming off - I'm not sure that's necessary, but helmetless players should go to the bench. The 5 second pseudo-penalty kill that's created by being forced to go to the bench is worth it if you can avoid a concussion.