TAMMERFORS. Should a full face shield be required by men to avoid facial injuries?
We asked some of the Tre Kronor World Cup players.
I wouldn’t stand in the way of that, says Lucas Woolmark.
Marcus Ersson, former Prinasbacken went blind in one eye after being hit by a ski a few years ago. Swedish NHL striker Karl Hagelin said recently that he will never fully regain his sight after injuring his left eye with a baton blade.
Injuries that would never have occurred if players had a full face mask on their helmet.
DN spoke about this with Morgan Johansson who is the project manager regarding player safety at the Swedish Ice Hockey League.
According to the Swedish ice hockey association’s insurance company Gjensidige, facial injuries have accounted for a third of the total number of hockey-related injuries at the elite and youth level in recent years.
Rules proposals made in the middle of WC
The question is relevant because Johansson has submitted a proposal to the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, which he hopes will be considered at the annual congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation during the ongoing Hockey World Cup in Finland.
– I’ve made a rule proposition, just as we did when we once made an eyebrow, that those born in 2004 who will become J20 players keep their grid. It has yet to be dealt with and I have not received an answer as to what is happening to it, but it will be my contribution on my part to make a difference in this way, Morgan Johansson tells DN.
Emil Bimström, 22, who had both of his front teeth pulled out in 2018, believes that the need for comprehensive facial protection is not necessary.
– Not right. It’s a tough sport too. Things will happen to your body when you play. Maybe that’s what I have to say about it, he told the newspaper.
Three Kronor players around the proposal
Sportbladet asked some of his Bemström teammates in the national team what they thought of the debate.
– I really do not know. It covers the whole face. It may not be entirely wrong, says Lucas Woolmark, 26.
Have you had any teeth or something like that?
– Of course I got a little slap in the face. This is what is happening and will continue to be true. I didn’t think much about it. It belongs in the sport in a way.
But you are no stranger to something being done to avoid such injuries?
So, if everyone had to drive in full helmet, I wouldn’t stand in his way. Then I would drive with her.
“Nothing negative about it”
22-year-old NHL players Jacob Peterson and Rasmus Dahlen He didn’t think much about this issue either.
But it’s always a good idea to protect yourself, says Dahlin.
– Hard to say before the test. I’ve never tried a full length mask. If it’s comfortable at the same time you see it too, of course it’s a good idea to protect yourself. There’s nothing negative about that, says Peterson.
Have you had any facial injuries?
– I got a tablet in my mouth so I started to bleed a little. But nothing more, says Rasmus Dahlin as he hurries to “take the wood” and knock on the wooden table in front of him.
– I actually have a polar bear, Peyton Crips, who was shot in the jaw. He was allowed to drink the soup for a month or so. It’s never fun, Dahlin continues.
Ladies always played with bars or full masks.
– Yes, their faces look prettier than ours. So, it’s probably a good idea if it works and feels comfortable, says Peterson, who had a few stitches in his face during his senior career.