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

[Missionhockey]

I never noticed it until one tore and I decided just to take them both out. Now it kind of bothers me if I had them in because my ears press against them but it's not something you can't get used to.

 

[Westcoasthabsfan]

I have played with them in and out and it doesnt interfere with your hearing was so ever....most leagues require them....

 

[rokkinman139]

For players with long hair, it makes a huge difference. With them, your hair is constantly in your face making it really hard to see and look like an idiot. Without them, you can let your wings out and look a lot better. Solution to that is just get a mullet (which I ended up doing before I turned 18 and still had to wear them).

 

[teeks643]

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.

I'm guessing he hadn't either...

 

[Siamese Dream]

I'm guessing he hadn't either...

Nice bump

I previously never knew the answer to this question but have since learned from other players that the real answer to the question is it's purely for cosmetic reasons, leaving them in "looks gay" and you are also a ***** if you do so and will get chirped

As a goalie this obviously never affected me but I've been a ref for 8 years and never taken them out, I don't even notice they're there, and it seems to be more "socially acceptable" as a ref, I don't remember ever being chirped for it.

 

[MeHateHe]

People who alter their HEAD PROTECTION because it chafes their ears or makes whistling sounds are... what's the word... "stupid."

You get one head. One brain. Reducing the effectiveness of your head protection while playing an unpredictable sport that moves at high speeds is goofy. Nobody alters their jock protection. If it chafes, you find a different model or a different size - you don't go without or cut it back. But guys will cut corners on their head protection or their eye protection to make themselves look better or alter the "feel'.

I've seen guys get hit in the side of the head with a puck. No ear protection would greatly increase the risk of concussion, but the ear protection - because it meant that the impact was spread along the side of the helmet to some extent - saved them.

Seriously. If your ear protection is bothering you, find another helmet or get used to it.

 

[teeks643]

Nice bump.

Thanks! I stumbled upon the thread via a Google search, and only later did I realize that it was a one-liner delivered only 3 years too late

 

[cptjeff]

People who alter their HEAD PROTECTION because it chafes their ears or makes whistling sounds are... what's the word... "stupid."

On the other side of that coin, guys who take their ear guards out clearly have less to lose if their brain gets damaged.

I've only taken a puck off that part of my helmet once, but that puck was moving at a pretty good clip, and if my ear guard hadn't been there, my ear would have been cut up and I wouldn't have been terribly shocked by further injury, concussion included. Thanks to my helmet and ear guard, it just made a very loud *bonk* sound.

 

[swoopster]

The oldtimers in the original six, and any player of that time period, would be laughing their collective fannies off over the absurdity of what's being talked about in this thread...wussies!

They played the game helmetless, with goalies who were sans mask.
And don't give me that crap about todays player being bigger and stronger, and the power of the composite stick,...tell that to Bobby Hull.

Like every other sport, we have saftied ourselves silly. With more equipment, there has been an abandonment of the time honored traditional unspoken rules of the game, regarding shooting the puck, raising the stick and running your fellow player through the boards and into the stands.

One day a kid came home to mommy with a facial cut, and that was it. The hue and cry for the face cage was apon us. Add in some football type equipment, and the evolution of todays stick wielding, let the puck fly face high, take a run at him from the other side of the parking lot, modern hockey participant is firmly on the scene.

What... we forgot ear protection? Oh mon dieu! It is only by the way we play today, that it has now become imperative that we cover that last of our remaining exposed senses.

BUT...to the average NHLer, and others, including moi, we say nyet to the flap, for, in all honesty,...its just not fashionable!

s...

 

[10coach*]

Nice bump

I previously never knew the answer to this question but have since learned from other players that the real answer to the question is it's purely for cosmetic reasons, leaving them in "looks gay" and you are also a ***** if you do so and will get chirped

As a goalie this obviously never affected me but I've been a ref for 8 years and never taken them out, I don't even notice they're there, and it seems to be more "socially acceptable" as a ref, I don't remember ever being chirped for it.

pretty much a no,no to keep them in as a ref if you are in any respectable league

 

[QnebO]

You feel like you sense players behind you better. Probably it is just the hearing and "free" feeling.

 

[gosinger]

I loved playing without earguards, hearing is significantly improved.

But when I put an open-ice hit on a player and he in falling smashed his stick towards my head (intentional or not is not the point), it went past the straps of my cage (which I thought would make up for the lack of earguards) and it gave me a deep cut right behind my ear. Ever since that it was earguards back in there, its simply not worth it.....

 

[shoeshine boy]

after the bump I have more to offer to this thread than I did back in 2013.
in December of 2014 I took a slapshot to the left ear during a game. I did have my ear protectors in and it still damn near sliced my ear in two. after they blew the play down I took my helmet off and asked my captain if I was bleeding. he said, "yeah, I think you're going to need some stitches." he later told me that he could see THROUGH my ear to the ice but a) didn't want to panic me and b) was trying not to vomit from seeing all the blood.
after a trip to the ER and several stitches it's back in one piece but for almost a year even the slightest touch would send horrible pain through my body (and it still hurts a little if you hit just the wrong spot) and I hate to think how much worse it would've been without that layer of protection. it's surprising how much damage even a low-level beer league shot can do.

 

[leftwinger37]

The oldtimers in the original six, and any player of that time period, would be laughing their collective fannies off over the absurdity of what's being talked about in this thread...wussies!

They played the game helmetless, with goalies who were sans mask.
And don't give me that crap about todays player being bigger and stronger, and the power of the composite stick,...tell that to Bobby Hull.

Like every other sport, we have saftied ourselves silly. With more equipment, there has been an abandonment of the time honored traditional unspoken rules of the game, regarding shooting the puck, raising the stick and running your fellow player through the boards and into the stands.

One day a kid came home to mommy with a facial cut, and that was it. The hue and cry for the face cage was apon us. Add in some football type equipment, and the evolution of todays stick wielding, let the puck fly face high, take a run at him from the other side of the parking lot, modern hockey participant is firmly on the scene.

What... we forgot ear protection? Oh mon dieu! It is only by the way we play today, that it has now become imperative that we cover that last of our remaining exposed senses.

BUT...to the average NHLer, and others, including moi, we say nyet to the flap, for, in all honesty,...its just not fashionable!

s...

Freedom of choice is a wonderful thing. You choose not to wear them. I don't either. But why **** all over anyone who chooses safety first? Old time hockey is gone and it's not coming back. Your rhetoric is tired and makes everyone discount what you have to say.

 

[swoopster]

... But why **** all over anyone who chooses safety first? Old time hockey is gone and it's not coming back. Your rhetoric is tired and makes everyone discount what you have to say.

Whoa there lefty...its called "humor" ( see the laughing face at the end of the post ). Loosen up on a couple of helmet screws.

s...

 

[leftwinger37]

Whoa there lefty...its called "humor" ( see the laughing face at the end of the post ). Loosen up on a couple of helmet screws.

s...

Just because it has a smiley at the end of it doesn't mean it doesn't sound like a diatribe. If that wasn't your intention, then I apologize.

 

[swoopster]

True lefty, behind all satire there is meaning. My basic point is that at one time the game was played like this:



I am always puzzled as to if the equipment brought about the games change, or did we change the game to necessitate the equipment.

I am of the opinion that the equipment has made the game inherently more dangerous, as todays players ( at all levels ) are oblivious to the consequences of their actions on ice.

We can beg to disagree.

On the lighter side, can anybody name an old aquaintance of mine, at center, facing toward camera, in the above photo.

 

[MeHateHe]

Donald Trump? Is that you?

 

[MattGTI]

I am always puzzled as to if the equipment brought about the games change, or did we change the game to necessitate the equipment.

I am of the opinion that the equipment has made the game inherently more dangerous, as todays players ( at all levels ) are oblivious to the consequences of their actions on ice.

We can beg to disagree.

I entirely disagree with this sentiment.

It's crazy how much faster the game is now even over just 40-50 years ago(which is relatively recent times). Even with it being seemingly less "open" nowadays, as opposed to the early 70's(as an example), the game is insanely fast in comparison.

As much as you want to shrug it off, players are bigger, stronger, and faster now. This effects the game, and how it's played immensely.

I understand you are trying to be funny. That's totally cool.

It's just a tired take on the subject. The game had far more instances of downright "scary" acts on the ice when players were far less protected back in the day. Stuff that we would never dream of taking place in an NHL game today.

Unfortunately, there has always been careless players. It's just under a microscope now with all the advancements in what we know in regards to ways to keep the player safer, as well as having the ability to see it 100x if we want on replay.

The game has advanced, the players have advanced. The advancements in equipment have gone hand to hand with that.


I like the "good old days" and "old time hockey" as much as anyone. However, let's agree that its in everyone's best interest that old school conventions such as stick fights, and the abundance of truly dirty play have been either abolished or greatly reduced in the game of hockey.

 

[leftwinger37]

I am of the opinion that the equipment has made the game inherently more dangerous, as todays players ( at all levels ) are oblivious to the consequences of their actions on ice.

We can beg to disagree.

I don't totally disagree with your premise.

I think the equipment is part of the evolution of the game. Post red line, the game is being played faster than it ever has. Cracking down on obstruction though the neutral zone has turned that area of the ice into a drag strip. Higher speeds=more devastating collisions. Everyone from NHL players to beer leaguers has access to the latest composite sticks that increases the velocity of their shots. At the highest levels, players are bigger, faster, and stronger than they ever have been. There is a real need for the equipment.

Where I think you're spot on is that a product of the increased protection is it has made players less honest. A lot of guys are looking out for themselves and nobody else on the ice. That's also a product of out "me-first" society, but I could go in whole different direction with that...

Was it the chicken or the egg?

 

[Summer Rose]

I don't totally disagree with your premise.

I think the equipment is part of the evolution of the game. Post red line, the game is being played faster than it ever has. Cracking down on obstruction though the neutral zone has turned that area of the ice into a drag strip. Higher speeds=more devastating collisions. Everyone from NHL players to beer leaguers has access to the latest composite sticks that increases the velocity of their shots. At the highest levels, players are bigger, faster, and stronger than they ever have been. There is a real need for the equipment.

Where I think you're spot on is that a product of the increased protection is it has made players less honest. A lot of guys are looking out for themselves and nobody else on the ice. That's also a product of out "me-first" society, but I could go in whole different direction with that...

Was it the chicken or the egg?

This premise always reminds me of the difference between rugby and football in terms of physicality and force of collisions and such, but it's also a bit of an apples to oranges comparison because there are situations in each sport that simply don't happen in the other, plus rugby has different legal contact rules (for example, leading into a hit with your shoulder in rugby is extremely illegal and is a textbook way to get sent off; not only that, it's dangerous for the tackler because it's a good way to dislocate/separate your own shoulder).

It also reminds me of my transition from playing high school hockey (i.e. checking) to adult league (non-checking). I've probably taken far worse hits in adult league due to reckless play or incompetent skaters than in high school, because when making plays along the boards or in open ice, I'm no longer bracing for a body check, so when I do get hit (whether intentional or not) I often get smacked awkwardly into the boards. Likewise, I go into board/corner battles with less aggression and intensity. If nobody wore facemasks, I'd probably dial back on my stick work as well to avoid the possibility of getting a penalty or hurting someone, though as a defender I'm more often playing the body than the stick or puck.

 

[leftwinger37]

This premise always reminds me of the difference between rugby and football in terms of physicality and force of collisions and such, but it's also a bit of an apples to oranges comparison because there are situations in each sport that simply don't happen in the other, plus rugby has different legal contact rules (for example, leading into a hit with your shoulder in rugby is extremely illegal and is a textbook way to get sent off; not only that, it's dangerous for the tackler because it's a good way to dislocate/separate your own shoulder).

Agreed. By the same logic, I think we should talk about pre-lockout (that's pre-2005 lockout for all you young whippersnappers) hockey like it's a different sport. I never liked comparing different eras because of the natural evolution the game.