Fighting in the Q

[OMG67]

Why do we wear masks, practice physical distancing & practice proper hand hygiene? Because science says all three will help protect our fellow human from the spread of covid.

So, what does the science say about repeated blows to the head?

I used to love a good hockey fight. Until the science came out about CTE. It's time to get rid of it. Especially when it comes to teenagers

Yup. 100%.

I still like a good scrap for sure. The problem is we know way too much now about all the negatives and the reality is the negatives far outweigh the positives.

The game has changed anyway. The speed and skill combined with smaller bodies tend to not result in a lot of the crap that resulted in fights in the past.

On top of the CTE issues, there are a lot of enforcer types going on the record now post-career and saying they were always scared and they suffer from PTSD and stuff like that. To be honest, it is really sad.

I realize that a five minute major is a penalty so technically, it is not allowed. However, if you fight in an NBA or NFL game, you are gone from the game PLUS you face significant suspensions. In hockey, you miss a couple shifts. IT is nowhere near equatable.

 

[OMG67]

Let's look at this very simplistic injuries in competitive sport is common maybe not at the frequency we've seen in the past but they do happen.

As you point out facial injuries or as the league spins it "Upper Body" injuries do happen. All the teams usually have some form of dental staff connected to them but not typically in house. To my knowledge Owen Sound has the only in house dental office with dentist on staff with proper dental facilities for immediate dental emergencies.

Unfortunately the OHL from a marketing standpoint chooses like the NHL to be able to market players faces to increase revenue but that's a whole other debate that could be put in a different thread for another time.

Personally I don't like seeing facial injuries happen in the game as the course of treatment is long and stressful for the players quoting a former Attack alumni "My Week was a stressful one, having 4 root canals this week" JB after said player took a puck to the facial area during a game the following week.

Unfortunately if we look at this whole situation the CHL could ban fighting or tighten the rules all they want but it's like stopping a bad weather for as much as we all dislike cold winter weather it happens from time to time. The last tilt a saw wasn't really tilt more of bear-hug match that saw both players tap each other on the shoulder afterwards and laugh about it to the penalty boxes. No one was injured and no form of league discipline was needed.

Thus making fights more a less a thing of the past now. Yes it's still a penalty but one that's becoming more and more less likely to happen as time progresses forward.

To me there is no reason to play half visor in Major Junior. Facial/Dental injuries and pretty serious. Even if they are simple tissue related with stitches, it is still a hazard.

I wore a cage with a JOFA helmet and I saw just as well with the cage as I did with no protection. It was the half shield that I hated. I could never get used to it so I put a full cage on. My peripherals were pretty good and the cage itself I never noticed. I hated the vision on the half shield. Loads of spray plus the bottom of the shield created a dead spot that I always had difficulty with.

I never played high end competitive hockey though. There may be aspects that someone my level simply cannot understand from a performance perspective.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

To me there is no reason to play half visor in Major Junior. Facial/Dental injuries and pretty serious. Even if they are simple tissue related with stitches, it is still a hazard.

I wore a cage with a JOFA helmet and I saw just as well with the cage as I did with no protection. It was the half shield that I hated. I could never get used to it so I put a full cage on. My peripherals were pretty good and the cage itself I never noticed. I hated the vision on the half shield. Loads of spray plus the bottom of the shield created a dead spot that I always had difficulty with.

I never played high end competitive hockey though. There may be aspects that someone my level simply cannot understand from a performance perspective.

These guys played with a cage all the way through minor hockey and some even through some Jr. hockey before reaching the OHL. If they got this far wearing a cage or a fishbowl, no reason why they can't continue with it IMO.

 

[AttackSound]

To me there is no reason to play half visor in Major Junior. Facial/Dental injuries and pretty serious. Even if they are simple tissue related with stitches, it is still a hazard.

I wore a cage with a JOFA helmet and I saw just as well with the cage as I did with no protection. It was the half shield that I hated. I could never get used to it so I put a full cage on. My peripherals were pretty good and the cage itself I never noticed. I hated the vision on the half shield. Loads of spray plus the bottom of the shield created a dead spot that I always had difficulty with.

I never played high end competitive hockey though. There may be aspects that someone my level simply cannot understand from a performance perspective.

Well that will always be the debate. We all know the OHL uses players faces as promotional tools. Dosen't matter what market we follow. If there was no reason for the fans and sports reporters to see players faces then I have no doubt in my mind that the CHL would be using the fishbowl or cage helmets unfortunately through visual appearance of faces is what sells the OHL to casual fan.

To the diehard STHs faces aren't really the big selling point but more the product on the ice and the glimmer of hope every season of seeing a winning team. If faces weren't more than a selling point to the CHL teams to attract occasional fans half visors wouldn't be used.

Look at the NHL playoffs tight now for example there no fans in the stands and the only people allowed in are staff members of the Lightning and Stars and the limited spots reporting outlets like Sportsnet staff. If it wasn't for the television revenue that's being made right now that's running the interest of the NHL I'm sure the Stanley Cup Championship round wouldn't be the high focal point sports fans. This making half visor helmets not needed.

 

[Otto]

 

[the dog]

Money talks

 

[Otto]

Money talks

Of course... if you were offered $20 million to make a simple change to your life wouldn't you take it?

 

[LMFAO]

If the whole issue is "Can't let 16-17 year old fight mens" why didn't they just made the birdcage mandatory for underage players ? Simple no ?

 

[Otto]

If the whole issue is "Can't let 16-17 year old fight mens" why didn't they just made the birdcage mandatory for underage players ? Simple no ?

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).