Visors and Shields
A visor or shield in ice hockey is a device attached to the front of a helmet to reduce potential of injury to the face. Visors cover the upper half of the face, while full face shields cover the entire face. There is currently a great debate about whether NHL players should be forced to wear visors like they are with helmets. A series of eye injuries, most notably that to Bryan Berard, have led to a call from many to enforce their wearing. Currently 60% of NHL players wear visors. Many other leagues around the world mandate the use of visors. Visors and shields, made of a high impact-resistant plastic, offer better overall vision than the wire cages available, which can obscure vision in certain areas. The face shield provides excellent straight ahead and peripheral vision, but does not provide as good air flow as the cage. This can cause the shield to fog up during play.
The American Hockey League, the top minor league in North America required all players to wear shields prior to the start of the 2006–07 season. The NHL "strongly recommends" them, and most players do wear them.
The first player to wear a shield was Greg Neeld in 1973, after he had lost his left eye due to an opponent's high stick.
Read more about this topic: Hockey Helmet
Famous quotes containing the word shields:
“No other man-made device since the shields and lances of the ancient knights fulfills a man’s ego like an automobile.”
—Sir William Rootes (1894–1964)