Then and Now: The Evolution of Hockey Protective Gear and How it Has Changed the Game Forever
Between human wrecking balls, smacking fans with their own shoes, and headless flailing, I don't know which point in hockey's convoluted history is wilder...
The year is 1947. You’re between the pipes—tracking the puck and determined to block the oncoming skater’s chance of scoring. With a slap of the stick, the rubber disc is quickly heading towards the net. You reach out to capture it in your trapper…if you had one. Instead, it hits the crossbar and the rebound is picked up by another skater, who botches his shot and it goes straight for your face. Luckily, your mask would block it…if you had one. This all sounds like a nightmare, but it was once a reality.
In the past century, the game of hockey has evolved tremendously. Alongside the updating of rules and the continuous improvement of skills and strategies, the development of new methods to protect players and spectators alike has become vital to the sport.
Hockey Has Had a Pretty Wild History with Protective Gear
When the first organized game was played in Montreal, there were no helmets, no pads, and not even proper skates. All they had were simple shoes with blades attached to the bottom and warm clothing to keep the chill off. Wildly, this was the standard for several years until concerned players began making crude shin guards out of leather, supported with either cane or wood. And the craziest thing was the goaltender gear, which featured…drumroll please…absolutely nothing different from the players smacking pucks at them! The first true innovation for goalies didn’t come for another 20 years, when they began repurposing cricket batting pads to keep their legs from turning purple.
Fast forward a few decades and things started really cooking on the ice. Players grew more skillful and games more intense. Skaters began utilizing makeshift pads and gloves to combat the increased physicality on the ice. Goaltenders still remained mostly indifferent from skaters’ protective gear. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until 1927 when a mask (a fencing mask, to be exact) was brought into competition by 21-year-old Queen’s University Goaltender Elizabeth Graham—a visionary oft forgotten. Despite that incredible innovation, it wasn’t until 30 years later that legendary goaltender Jacques Plante invented the iconic fiberglass masks.
You have him to thank for your recurring Jason Voorhees nightmares.
In between those goalie concoctions was the plastic boom which followed World War II. With that came the revolutionary production of official protective gear. The days of hay padding and wooden guards were over as the hockey world now could purchase whatever they needed. It all seemed to be on the up and up…until one big issue reared its ugly head.
The plastic equipment protected some wearers well enough, but the same couldn’t be said about the ones they would check.
Players were becoming human wrecking balls, crushing their opponents into a fine powder.
Well, ‘fine powder’ may be an exaggeration, but it wasn’t good. Luckily, the NHL put an end to that chaos by regulating gear, requiring an official review for every piece of equipment in an effort to protect all of the players on the ice.
And then came preventions to make the game a little less, erm…’immersive’ for fans
Steadily, the NHL began making more efforts in safety. For players and fans, they required arenas to install a short glass barrier above the boards—a massive upgrade from the rudimentary chicken wire defenses (literally). However, it soon became evident that the short barrier may not have been enough.
A few years later in 1979, on a chilly night in New York, the Rangers and Boston Bruins played their final game before the Christmas break. Then, a truly bizarre occurrence sprang up from behind the glass. Or rather, it sprang up due to someone not remaining behind the glass.
The incident came when a fan punched Bruins left-winger Stan Jonathan, who had scored the game-winning goal. Afterward, the Captain, Terry O'Reilly, climbed into the stands and was soon followed by the rest of the team, save the netminder, Gerry Cheevers. Long story short, a small riot erupted and the fan was smacked with his own shoe.
Despite a clear need for higher glass to further separate players and fans, it wasn’t until 2002 that the glass height was adjusted from six feet above the boards to eight feet.
The NHL Finally Started Taking Things Seriously
Putting their finger in another danger pie, the NHL later made the controversial choice to enforce a helmet rule. Despite the fact the head is one of the most crucial areas to protect on the human body, for the majority of the NHL’s existence, there was nothing between the cold hard ice and players’ delicate little melons…until a fateful announcement before the 1979-80 season, that is.
All rookies would be required to don a bucket, and veteran players were provided one to wear by choice. Of course, there was a lot of commotion around the new mandate. Helmets had been used previously after an injury or by player’s choice, but doing so often led to ridicule from both players and spectators alike. Hockey is a tough sport, and a very common perception was that those on the ice should ‘act tough’ and shirk protection. Luckily, not everyone bought into that idea as many made the choice to wear helmets regardless.
Additionally, another similar mandate came into play before the 2013-14 season, in which visors would be required by players who had less than 25 games played in their career.
In the 1990s, a new, rather unusual problem was presented to the NHL which lay in one of the most integral parts of the players’ gear—their sweaters. Legendary Buffalo Sabres enforcer (and current Sabres color commentator) Rob Ray, employed a clever brawling exploit, purposefully wearing a larger sweater so he could easily wiggle free from it in a fight, giving opponents little to grip onto when grappling. Of course, this caught along league-wide, though it opened up a whole can of worms as some would end up as victims of their own sweaters when pulled over their heads.
Picture it; arms frantically and blindly flailing about, looking as though they were headless, panicking in the middle of a fight as they were ultimately immobilized. Obviously, it was a hilarious sight, but far too dangerous.
Due to the hazard, fight straps—a strip of fabric connecting sweaters to pants—were encouraged at the beginning of the 1996-97 season. While they weren’t completely enforced, players weren’t especially interested in receiving a game misconduct should their sweater come off during a knock-down-drag-out.
The Freshest Gear to Hit the Ice
As time passed, other pieces of safety equipment were released and approved for use in the NHL, though not required. Namely, mouthguards and neck protectors. The most commonly used of the two are, of course, the mouth guards, not only for their ability to prevent serious dental damage, but also for the shock absorption and dispersion which can help give extra defense against jaw fractures and even traumatic brain injuries. Although the possibility of spitting Chiclets isn’t completely mitigated by the use of mouthguards, it can potentially prevent more gruesome incidents…or at the very least hold those perished pearlies within the guard so they don’t end up MIA on the ice.
Meanwhile, despite the clear need for neck protectors and many players’ desire to wear them, they are often left out of the usual gameday equipment due to the very uncomfortable design. The combination of weight and heat insulation are the reasons most players opt out of wearing them.
It doesn’t stop goalies, though.
The constant onslaught of pucks and frequently being run over by players makes this a very easy choice. Goalies even take neck protection a step further, with many opting to wear plastic throat protectors, dangling from their masks and looking like something straight out of a medieval armory (we see you rocking that plastic, Igor).
Though neck protectors are something clearly wanted, and even required in minor leagues, many are concerned by the lack of improvement on the design to make it a more comfortable fit while continuing to provide superior protection.
The Future of Protective Ice Hockey Equipment
Hockey has evolved. Skate-resistant fabrics and quality padding have become commonplace as player safety now rides shotgun in the minds of the NHL’s executives instead of being crammed in the trunk. Despite all of the steps taken toward a safer game, there are still areas that could require more attention. Goalies may wear every pad in the world and then some, but their masks lack the proper construction to prevent concussions like their teammates’ helmets do. Heck, their teammates aren’t even allowed to wear a cage unless they are recovering from an injury. And as cool as the brawls are, there has been a longstanding debate about whether they should be allowed at all due to the negative consequences that have been seen due to their presence.
The truth, though, is that hockey is a unique sport, and a very hard one. Every sport comes with its risks and its traditions. It is pivotal for not only the well-being of players to be taken with great consideration, but also to remember the history of the sport and why so many take to it in spite of the danger.
Hockey is tough. Players know that when they step on the ice.
Hockey is traditional. It is the heart of the sport, whether that tradition is a routine postgame celebration, the annual hoisting of the Stanley Cup, or the throwing of hats on the ice when a hat trick is achieved. It is evident just how important tradition actually is for the game.
Hockey is thrilling. The two aforementioned aspects combined help to make hockey one of the most entertaining sports in the world. It is the reason that it attracts millions of fans worldwide.
Perhaps some things could be changed in the future to make the sport safer, but whether those changes would be made at the risk of damaging the heart of the game is the real question and one of the reasons that hockey has remained largely the same for 150 years.