Equipment: Why do so many pro players take the ear guards out of their helmets?

[3 Minute Minor]

Someone just showed me the clip of the referee getting his ear cut by a clear attempt in the TOR/CGY game and then I see he took the ear guards out of his helmet... why the hell do people do that and in a league that is claiming to do everything they can to protect their people, why do they allow players & refs to remove a piece of plastic that obstructs nothing and protects your ears?

Only player I remember seeing with them still in is Crosby lol after that I've never noticed anyone else with it, I'm sure there's a few others but way more take em out.

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[Terry Yake]

either for comfort, to hear better on the ice, or both

i've always taken them out of my helmets simply because i find it way more comfortable and while the risk of getting hit by a puck in that area is obviously there, it's pretty rare from what i've experienced.

crosby, malkin, jokinen, and kane are the only nhl'ers that i've seen who keep them in and it still look odd

 

[snizzbone*]

Crosby, I believe, is contracted to keep his in to promote safety for Reebok or something.

 

[Green Blob*]

Makes no sense to me.

 

[PerpetualTankYear]

Comfort? Unless you're an elf, and have ears that stick out, how can taking them out be for comfort?

 

[snizzbone*]

Comfort? Unless you're an elf, and have ears that stick out, how can taking them out be for comfort?

I've only played without ear guards once, and it felt very freeing. Nice breeze going on when you're skating.

That's the only real thing I noticed though.. not really worth the risk.

 

[Pothier]

I've been playing without the ear guards on for about a year and a half now and it's purely for comfort. I don't have huge ears by any stretch but sometimes I would get a bit of pain in my ears from pushing up on the plastic.

Maybe my ears are just sensitive? Sometimes they can even hurt a little bit from wearing a toque too long.

 

[shoeshine boy]

either for comfort, to hear better on the ice, or both

i've always taken them out of my helmets simply because i find it way more comfortable and while the risk of getting hit by a puck in that area is obviously there, it's pretty rare from what i've experienced.

crosby, malkin, jokinen, and kane are the only nhl'ers that i've seen who keep them in and it still look odd

pretty rare? yes but tell that to Matt Hendricks

oddly enough this gruesome injury did not convince him to put the ear guards back.

 

[LarryO]

When I wore a Jofa 690 helmet, I removed the ear protectors because thay rubbed on my ears and chafed them. When I switched to a RBK 8K and later to an Easton E700, I kept them on because I didn't feel them.

 

[Jarick]

Same reason they play without visors and mouthguards I suppose.

I've swapped ear guards before. Some of them can muffle your hearing or chafe the ears. I've also taken the little foam pads off the inside of the ear guards as well, which helped quite a bit. But never fully took them off.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

I've been playing without the ear guards on for about a year and a half now and it's purely for comfort. I don't have huge ears by any stretch but sometimes I would get a bit of pain in my ears from pushing up on the plastic.

Maybe my ears are just sensitive? Sometimes they can even hurt a little bit from wearing a toque too long.

If your ears are so sensitive, what's going to happen if you get hit in the ear with the puck?

And if your ears are rubbing up against the ear guards it means you have inhuman ears or your helmet is too small.

Same reason they play without visors and mouthguards I suppose.

I've swapped ear guards before. Some of them can muffle your hearing or chafe the ears. I've also taken the little foam pads off the inside of the ear guards as well, which helped quite a bit. But never fully took them off.

I'll defend the mouthguards simply because some people gag on em I know I could never wear them worth a damn because I'd get sick before the first period ended. I tried everything to get over it but no "trick" ever worked for me.

+ The ear guards are mandatory requirements in minor hockey so kids should be wearing from the day they start hockey, if they're not use to them then there's something wrong lol I never noticed my helmet even had them until I was 16

 

[Oscar Acosta]

How anyone finds them uncomfortable more than a screw in the top of the helmet or a button on your shirt is beyond me.

 

[not a troll]

The ear guards on my V08 would make whistling sounds as I was skating so off they went.

 

[Faltorvo]

Truth be told I took mine off, i felt a little disoriented with them on.

They did impair my hearring, to a point.

 

[JoeCool16]

The ear guards on my V08 would make whistling sounds as I was skating so off they went.

Did the whistling sound anything like... this?

 

[tarheelhockey]

I can see why some people would find them uncomfortable.

 

[intangible]

My league requires them, unfortunately.

I have a few teammates whose ear guards squish in their ears. This is particularly uncomfortable if you wear your helmet appropriately tightly, depending on the model.

 

[Siamese Dream]

"Impair your hearing" Lirl

suck it up, I've seen a deaf guy who plays

 

[Pajicz]

I've always wondered about this, but I guess that everything counts in professional hockey... personally I've have never removed them, and probably never will.

 

[The Tikkanen]

"Impair your hearing" Lirl

suck it up, I've seen a deaf guy who plays

I've played with a deaf guy as well and he was probably the dirtiest player I've played with. He eventually got shipped out of a beer league to a full check league in another city, which I've never heard of before him. As for the ear guards, they come off as soon as I get home after buying a new helmet. I've been playing 20 years, never had an issue. Of course now that I said that I'm ****.

 

[Terry Yake]

anyone know if ear guards are mandatory per USA hockey?

i subbed for my buddy's team a year or two ago and one of the refs called me over before the game and told me i needed to put the ear guards back into my helmet before the next game, which i found odd since most people take them out anyways and i had never been told anything before or since that one incident.

either it's mandatory and just not enforced or it might have just been that one league's rules

 

[RockemSockemProberts]

My league requires them, unfortunately.

I have a few teammates whose ear guards squish in their ears. This is particularly uncomfortable if you wear your helmet appropriately tightly, depending on the model.

I took the stock mid-90's ear guards off my CCM HT2 because they were too thick and when my cage was fastened it would press against my temples and give me a headache. The newer clear CCM ear guards are thinner and have a smaller profile, so problem solved.

I'd love to remove my ear guards completely, and have through about going to a visor. The lightweight feel of a cageless helmet with no ear guards is really tempting, but I'm just to chicken and superstitious to do it. I know I'd end up with a stick in the mouth or a puck to the ear.

 

[Jarick]

I just looked up the USA Hockey rules:

Rule 304.C states:

It is mandatory that all players (except Adults) wear a HECC approved helmet (including ear protection) with chin strap properly fastened. Players in the Adult classification must wear a hockey helmet (including non-HECC approved) with chin strap properly fastened.

So it looks like they are not required, but there may be additional rules in your league.

 

[Terry Yake]

I just looked up the USA Hockey rules:

Rule 304.C states:



So it looks like they are not required, but there may be additional rules in your league.

gotcha

so it looks like that league i subbed in just had additional rules regarding ear guards

 

[Sleepy]

I just looked up the USA Hockey rules:

Rule 304.C states:



So it looks like they are not required, but there may be additional rules in your league.

Interesting. I'm in the camp if I don't see the value in a half visor over the full cage, there's no way I'd see the value in taking off the ear-guards.

I'll say this though: The people who swap ear guard colors to contrast with their helmets look like they stepped off the short bus and deserve to be chirped.