To Visor or Not To Visor?
Posted 11:08 AM ET | Comments 15
Already, news outlets are insisting that visors are the key to salvation. It's a cry that comes up on every big facial injury involving a high stick or a stray puck. If only he wore a visor they say, shaking their heads. Of course we all know that it is impossible to make the claim that a visor would have absolutely prevented the injury suffered by Braydon Coburn last night. Could not the puck have gone under his visor and done the same amount, if not more damage? Yes, that is also possible.
I'm not saying that the use of visors is worthless. Quite the contrary. I think visor use should be considered as being a mandatory move by the league. Arguments can be made on both sides of the fence, and good ones, but the league should be trying to find a way to protect its players to the best of their ability. Perhaps if Coburn was wearing a visor he would not have been injured, and the game would have played much different. What fan doesn't want to see the best players on the ice as much as possible?
But still, the lamenting of the media, with their "we told you so" attitudes are oh so very tired. Take, for example, Steve Simons of the Edmonton Sun. Today he has an article entitled VISOR MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY.
He's right, it may have. But lots of things could have prevented it. And so, while awaiting my morning coffee, I devised this list of alternate possibilities which may have saved Braydon Coburn:
BETTER DILIGENCE BY GUARDIAN ANGEL MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
FORCE POWERS MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
COBURN PLAYING PROFESSIONAL GOLF MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
HALL GILL NEVER SHOOTING PUCK MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
HOCKEY GAMES DECIDED BY CRAZY EIGHTS CARD TOURNAMENT MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
USING MIDGET AS A SHIELD MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
CANADIANS NEVER INVENTING HOCKEY MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
DUCKING MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
USE OF FACE DETECTION SAFETY SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN PUCK COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
SEAT BELT USE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
LESSER CO2 EMISSIONS COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
PLAYERS DISTRACTED BY MATING HARP SEALS AT CENTER ICE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
COBURN STILL PLAYING FOR ATLANTA THRASHERS COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
TITANIUM SKULL MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
PUCK MADE OF NERF MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
BEING NAMED BRANDON KILBOURNE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
NEVER BEING BORN COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
Do you have any fun headlines that have an answer to protecting Braydon Coburn? Feel free to post up.
I'm not saying that the use of visors is worthless. Quite the contrary. I think visor use should be considered as being a mandatory move by the league. Arguments can be made on both sides of the fence, and good ones, but the league should be trying to find a way to protect its players to the best of their ability. Perhaps if Coburn was wearing a visor he would not have been injured, and the game would have played much different. What fan doesn't want to see the best players on the ice as much as possible?
But still, the lamenting of the media, with their "we told you so" attitudes are oh so very tired. Take, for example, Steve Simons of the Edmonton Sun. Today he has an article entitled VISOR MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY.
He's right, it may have. But lots of things could have prevented it. And so, while awaiting my morning coffee, I devised this list of alternate possibilities which may have saved Braydon Coburn:
BETTER DILIGENCE BY GUARDIAN ANGEL MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
FORCE POWERS MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
COBURN PLAYING PROFESSIONAL GOLF MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
HALL GILL NEVER SHOOTING PUCK MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
HOCKEY GAMES DECIDED BY CRAZY EIGHTS CARD TOURNAMENT MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
USING MIDGET AS A SHIELD MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
CANADIANS NEVER INVENTING HOCKEY MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
DUCKING MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
USE OF FACE DETECTION SAFETY SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN PUCK COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
SEAT BELT USE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
LESSER CO2 EMISSIONS COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
PLAYERS DISTRACTED BY MATING HARP SEALS AT CENTER ICE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
COBURN STILL PLAYING FOR ATLANTA THRASHERS COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
TITANIUM SKULL MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
PUCK MADE OF NERF MAY HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
BEING NAMED BRANDON KILBOURNE COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
NEVER BEING BORN COULD HAVE PREVENTED COBURN INJURY
Do you have any fun headlines that have an answer to protecting Braydon Coburn? Feel free to post up.
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12 Game 1: Expected Result.
13 Crazy Superstitions....
15 The Magic of Hockey
18 Wild Take Game 4...
19 Wild Vs Ducks -- Best of One Series.
12 Game 1: Expected Result.
13 Crazy Superstitions....
15 The Magic of Hockey
18 Wild Take Game 4...
19 Wild Vs Ducks -- Best of One Series.
07 Sweet Pain...The Conference Finals
10 Pens/Flyers Game One: The View From Minnesota...
11 Pens/Flyers Game Two: The View From Minnesota...
12 To Visor or Not To Visor?
13 Pens/Flyers Game Three: The View From Minnesota...
15 Pens/Flyers Game Four: The View From Minnesota...
18 Pens/Flyers Game Five: The View From Minnesota...
10 Pens/Flyers Game One: The View From Minnesota...
11 Pens/Flyers Game Two: The View From Minnesota...
12 To Visor or Not To Visor?
13 Pens/Flyers Game Three: The View From Minnesota...
15 Pens/Flyers Game Four: The View From Minnesota...
18 Pens/Flyers Game Five: The View From Minnesota...
Malkins face in the way instead of Coburns would have prevented injuryMalking slew footing Coburn would have prevented injuryCoburn flopping around like he was wearing Cindy's skates would have prevented injury
I understand the debate here fairly well. My take is that the plastic visors are hot and they have problems with vision as the light is distorted around the visor. My solution is that the cage style helmet worn in college might be the best. The vision is not a problem. Osgood wears one to play goalie and he sees pretty well - just check his stats! The heat is not an issue as air flows through the cage. There is no chance of the puck or stick coming under the visor and inflicting more damage. But if I were a GM or Owner I would want all my guys wearing a cage for the following reason. Concussions would be minimized. Most of the concussions are not caused by players falling and hitting their head on the ice. They are caused by blows to the jaw area with a shoulder, elbow or the wall.
Here is my take on it http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=32416
Playing and deciding the game on PS3 could have prevented the Coburn injury
Coburn being born without a forehead may have prevented the injury
I say get rid of the hard plastic shoulder and elbow pads and the injuries will decrease quickly.
Playing in a plastic bubble could have prevented the Coburn injury.
Coburn keeping his shifts a little shorter could have prevented the injury
Coburn's parental genetics could have made him shorter and prevented the injury
Born without a forehead....classic. I got a good chuckle from that one. It;s a great visual.
An arbitrary, bad penalty call on Coburn would have prevented injury
David-Alexandre Beauregard might still have two functioning eyes in his head if he hadn't been wearing a visor....kid in juniors took a high stick under the visor, and it got caught because of it. Beauregard lost the eye. I wear a shield, but it's a matter of personal choice.
Like said above, personal choice. I wonder myself what I would do. Right now I wear a cage, but I don't play at a level where I have the option. I could wear a visor if I wanted too, and actually I'm due to get a new helmet and might do that. But Idk, as long as it doesn't take away fighting from the game anymore than it all ready does, then I wouldn't give a damn. That's the only thing I'm concerned about. As far as the heat issue, they'd have to get over it. That's a tad bit too much of a complaint, just wear the helmet, shut the mouth, and go play some hockey.
I use a visor and don't have any issues with heat. Maybe with a full face shield there may be heating issues, but other than just wiping down the visor every couple shifts or so there's not much problem with it. I think grandfathering in a visor rule is a good idea, just as they did with helmets. Eventually that personal choice has to yield to safety. Players are just shooting too hard, especially with the added torque from the composite sticks these days. Players should seek to keep themselves on the ice instead of a doctor's office and a visor truly is a simple thing to apply and acclimate to. But for this particular post up I was more concerned with the fun of media sky-is-falling style headlines. Folks have posted up some good ones, I must say, and a good discussion in there too.
I don't mind my visor, but I just can't deal with a full shield.