ESPN - Many well known hockey helmets unsafe

[Fenway]

If you play the game or you have a child playing, this is a must read.

Study: Many hockey helmets unsafe

More than a quarter of all helmets worn by hockey players, from the NHL to youth leagues, are unsafe, according to an independent study provided to "Outside the Lines" that ranked hockey helmets based on their ability to reduce concussion risk.

Out of 32 helmets in the marketplace that were tested by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, nine failed to earn a single star on a five-star scale and were classified as "not recommended." Just one helmet, made by Warrior Sports, received three stars. The rest received one or two stars.

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[Danton Heineken]

Whatever happened to those helmets specifically design to reduce head impact that were backed by Mark Messier?

 

[Shaun]

the helmet i wear got rated 0 stars. oh well my brain is jello already anyways.

 

[SpeedyLazaro]

Yikes.. I'm wearing a 1 star helmet.. no wonder I got my first concussion last season.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

I actually always thought our helmets stunk and didn't actually do very much. A perfect helmet is going to be nearly impossible I think. I didn't even trust my bike helmet as a kid.

 

[Replicator]

I'm beginning to think our old Cooper SK10s were not as useful as we thought they were
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coo...484?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cf5fbe784

 

[PrisonMike]

the whole testing method was ridiculous. Direct blows to the front and back of the helmet with a huge metal mallet ???? Most of the hits are to the chin, or side of the helmet. And what constitures a 5 star ??? Another crap piece by ESPN to "show" they care.

 

[OutspokenMinority*]

normally i'd believe it without hesitation but it's ESPN so you know it's bs.

 

[NSBruinFan]

My last concussion lasted three years. Do whatever it takes to protect your brain!

 

[Bruwinz37]

Whatever happened to those helmets specifically design to reduce head impact that were backed by Mark Messier?

That's what my son wears. I am curious now

 

[Replicator]

the whole testing method was ridiculous. Direct blows to the front and back of the helmet with a huge metal mallet ???? Most of the hits are to the chin, or side of the helmet. And what constitures a 5 star ??? Another crap piece by ESPN to "show" they care.

normally i'd believe it without hesitation but it's ESPN so you know it's bs.

Don't ignore the message just because the messenger is a turd. This isn't a one-off just for the 4-letter network. It is a long-term University study. Their methods appear to be a bit naive, but the editing also only shows their most dramatic test rig.

Last time I went to the hockey shop, it occurred to me that I trust a helmet I wore 35 years ago more than I would trust the ones available today, because it had more padding inside (NOT the ridiculous Cooper SK10, but the next one I got ) - it might not be as sturdy against taking a header into the pipes than today's models, but as far a protecting me from a concussion on a boarding or a trip, etc, It would spread the impact reasonably well, and actually decellerate more smoothly. Oddly enough, wearing a chewy mouth guard is apparently one of the best tools to prevent concussion - I don't completely understand that one.

 

[jgatie]

Don't ignore the message just because the messenger is a turd. This isn't a one-off just for the 4-letter network. It is a long-term University study. Their methods appear to be a bit naive, but the editing also only shows their most dramatic test rig.

Last time I went to the hockey shop, it occurred to me that I trust a helmet I wore 35 years ago more than I would trust the ones available today, because it had more padding inside (NOT the ridiculous Cooper SK10, but the next one I got ) - it might not be as sturdy against taking a header into the pipes than today's models, but as far a protecting me from a concussion on a boarding or a trip, etc, It would spread the impact reasonably well, and actually decellerate more smoothly. Oddly enough, wearing a chewy mouth guard is apparently one of the best tools to prevent concussion - I don't completely understand that one.

Blows to the chin cause concussions more than any others. The shock to the jaw, through the teeth, and into the head is lessened by wearing a softer mouth guard. Skating with his head down and refusing to wear a mouth guard is what ruined Lindros.

 

[Bad Puck Bounce]

Don't ignore the message just because the messenger is a turd. This isn't a one-off just for the 4-letter network. It is a long-term University study. Their methods appear to be a bit naive, but the editing also only shows their most dramatic test rig.

Last time I went to the hockey shop, it occurred to me that I trust a helmet I wore 35 years ago more than I would trust the ones available today, because it had more padding inside (NOT the ridiculous Cooper SK10, but the next one I got ) - it might not be as sturdy against taking a header into the pipes than today's models, but as far a protecting me from a concussion on a boarding or a trip, etc, It would spread the impact reasonably well, and actually decellerate more smoothly. Oddly enough, wearing a chewy mouth guard is apparently one of the best tools to prevent concussion - I don't completely understand that one.

It's because of the impact of both rows of teeth slamming together. My parents refused to let my brother and I use those cheap 5 dollar ones you quickly throw into hot water and bite down on to mold to your teeth.

As far as helmets go, you'll never be able to make a concussion proof helmet, it's not possible. That being said, I think CCM, Bauer, Warrior, and the others need to take this study into consideration. Sure the model and tests they're running might be extreme, but they should shoot for the best possible protection they can.

This study might explain why I had 3 concussions, with the last one being serious, by the time I was a senior in high school.

 

[TCL40]

the whole testing method was ridiculous. Direct blows to the front and back of the helmet with a huge metal mallet ???? Most of the hits are to the chin, or side of the helmet. And what constitures a 5 star ??? Another crap piece by ESPN to "show" they care.

It's rare you get a direct blow to the head with a metal mallet while playing hockey.

Outside of fighting generally it is the head hitting things like the ice, boards, glass etc that cause damage.

But I guess if a helmet does well with a blow from a metal mallet it is probably going to protect you from most things that happen in a hockey game.

 

[HHHH]

I wish they had tested some of the Cascade models...they were billed as reducing concussions, but very few pros wear them.

 

[Fenway]

I wish they had tested some of the Cascade models...they were billed as reducing concussions, but very few pros wear them.

Cascade was bought out by Bauer.

ESPN is what it is BUT they have allowed 'Outside The Lines' to investigate sensitive matters.

I am older than most of you but I got a nasty scar in my face from playing a high school game at the Rhode Island Auditorium which never installed glass, it was chicken wire until the end.

 

[Therick67]

Mouth guards don't prevent concussions, they protect your teeth..

 

[Bmessy]

They hit harder than football and sometimes into plexi glass/boards/ice.. just look at the helmet comparison.
It might not be direct head to head contact like football but still the hockey helmet looks like a joke in comparison.

 

[jgatie]

Mouth guards don't prevent concussions, they protect your teeth..

Sorry, but actual science says you are wrong. Cheap mouth guards don't reduce concussions, but custom ones do:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501101133.htm

High school football players wearing store-bought, over-the-counter (OTC) mouthguards were more than twice as likely to suffer mild traumatic brain injures (MTBI)/concussions than those wearing custom-made, properly fitted mouthguards, reports a new study in the May/June 2014 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

 

[hoss75]

As far as helmets go, you'll never be able to make a concussion proof helmet, it's not possible.

Quoted for truth. Helmets have been designed to protect the head from splitting open. The tricky part of making them concussion proof is allowing them to absorb energy without then reflecting that energy... ie. bounce. But even then the worst concussions stem from the head coming to sudden stop which a helmet won't prevent from happening.
Don't get me wrong; buy the best possible helmet you can for your kids. But just as important, make sure their coach knows how to teach them.

 

[Therick67]

Sorry, but actual science says you are wrong. Cheap mouth guards don't reduce concussions, but custom ones do:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501101133.htm

Mouth guards where designed to protect your teeth, not prevent concussions. if they've designed something with concussions in mind that is custom made thats a different animal.

I hear parents all the time think that since they went to Dicks and picked up a mouth guard johnny won't get a concussion, that is not correct.

 

[jgatie]

Mouth guards where designed to protect your teeth, not prevent concussions. if they've designed something with concussions in mind that is custom made thats a different animal.

I hear parents all the time think that since they went to Dicks and picked up a mouth guard johnny won't get a concussion, that is not correct.

And that has nothing to do with the fact that there are some mouth guards that significantly reduce the frequency of concussions, completely negating your statement that "Mouth guards don't prevent concussions . . .".

 

[Therick67]

And that has nothing to do with the fact that there are some mouth guards that significantly reduce the frequency of concussions, completely negating your statement that "Mouth guards don't prevent concussions . . .".

I'm not sure how it 'completely' negates my statement. Most people are buying them at the store, not going to some specialist to have it made.

 

[jgatie]

I'm not sure how it 'completely' negates my statement. Most people are buying them at the store, not going to some specialist to have it made.

You stated definitively that mouth guards do not prevent concussions. All I had to do to negate that is to show at least one mouth guard that does prevent concussions. The study shows there are some that do.

 

[Therick67]

You stated definitively that mouth guards do not prevent concussions. All I had to do to negate that is to show at least one mouth guard that does prevent concussions. The study shows there are some that do.

Reducing and preventing are two different things.

From the article you linked:

Many variables contribute to MTBI/concussion injuries, and mouthguards -- whose primary function is protecting the teeth -- cannot completely prevent them from occurring. Previous studies have theorized that mouthguards can reduce concussion risk, however, because they help absorb shock, stabilize the head and neck, and limit movement caused by a direct hit to the jaw.