Visors, For the Benefit of the League
This is my application to write for Studs & Duds / The Black Aces / anything available.
I know it's not fantasy value, but with the grandfathering in of visors, I feel that it should be looked at as it hasn't been discussed to an extent.
So here's my take.
Visors, For the Benefit of the League
On June 4th, 2013, NHL’s competition committee came to terms in a league-based rule of grandfathering visors onto the helmets of hockey players with less than 26 games of experience. While many players disagree with the controversial rule, adding visors as an extra protector may help save the careers of current and future NHLers. Within the next 25 years of NHL history (barring another Selanne/Chelios ordeal) the visor-free helmet will become a thing of the past, for the greater good of hockey.
On March 11th, 2000 with 4:43 left to go in the 2nd period in a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, Bryan Berard caught the follow-through of a slap shot by Marian Hossa into the eye. Many current and former NHLers have argued that players should have the right to choose whether or not they have should wear a visor when stepping into the big league, but as history shows, it isn’t necessarily the rookies who are primarily in danger.
Many of the recent injuries that can be noted include players from grinders to superstars. For instance, Marc Staal’s famous puck-to-the-eye incident has caused permanent damage to his right eye. Had he been wearing a visor, the result could have ended up similar to what Nate Thompson went through when a Mike Green slapshot shattered the visor off of Nate Thompson’s helmet. Luckily for Thompson, the injuries were a few minimal scratches on the face, but that may have not been the issue a few years before when Steve Yzerman convinced him to put one on before the 2011/2012 NHL season.
With constant upgrades and improvements in hockey equipment these days, players are capable of moving faster and shooting harder. Hockey stick upgrades have made it capable for players such as Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber to take shots that top 110 mph. But there are many other benefits to hockey visors as well.
Visors are capable of protecting the upper portion of your face, and while visors haven’t prevented injuries to the lower half (see Sidney Crosby) or prevented retirement (see Ian Laperriere), they have prevented possible death. Visors can weaken elbow and shoulder blows to the face, protect from flying sticks and wild pucks, and they are lightweight and give a strong field of vision. While the visor does protect the most important part of your face (your eyes and nose), the only downfalls that can be seen are that they scratch, fog, and they don’t protect your jaw. Luckily for the first two issues, the team trainers should be able to fix those problems.
According to Mathieu Schneider, approximately 73% of NHL players wore visors the past 2012/2013 NHL season. Schneider also claimed that “More guys put a visor on after the Staal injury this year”. And while many of the veterans argue that the young players should be the ones deciding, recent NHL eye injuries due to a lack of visor include: Bryan Berard (2000), Marc Staal (2013), Chris Pronger (2011), Nate Thompson (2013), Manny Malhotra (2011), Ryan Jones (2012), and Mats Sundin in 2008, just to name a few in which none were even in their rookie season.
Thankfully, many players have begun adding the visor to their helmets after recent injuries. Some players include Eric, Jordan, and Marc Staal as well as Brooks Orpik, Ryan Jones, Nate Thompson, Manny Malhotra, and Vincent Lecavalier. So to add to the discussion about whether or not the NHL visors should become a required piece of equipment, visors have helped save careers of some players, while a lack of protection has proven to end them.
Last edited by FutureFF; September 9, 2013 at 8:57 AM.
well written, seems like something that could be in THN.
that said, how does this news help us here? how many eye injuries have happened that could have been prevented? will there be fewer injuries? will that mean less opportunities for young players? is this good for maintaining keeper league value?
The article was primarily made to show my writing capabilities instead of my fantasy knowledge as I was suggested by another writer from Dobber to post this article. But If you want to make it relevant towards fantasy, there is an argument that players who wear the visors have proven to prevent further injuries to the eyes, sustaining a longer career in the NHL.Originally Posted by ultrawhiteness
Since each player listed above switched to the visor, none of the players have suffered significant injuries to the head. While Marc Staal still suffers from eye-related issues, it's fair to say that if he was wearing a visor, his eye would have been protected from the puck that hit him and help reaffirm his fantasy value.
Evidence for this can be shown by Nate Thompson when he took a Mike Green slap shot that shattered his visor. Thompson walked away with minor injuries, but if he was not protected, who knows what the results could have been with Thompson's future in Tampa Bay or the NHL. Players who have added the visor to their helmet have all increased their longevity in the NHL when it comes to facial injuries.
While each player has prevented injuries to the the upper region of the head (arguably the most important), injuries still occur. I would say there will be limited effects towards younger players getting call ups. Injuries still happen to players on a weekly basis. Younger players will still get their opportunities to step into the pros during the season as off-ice stupidity (e.g. Dany Heatley/Craig Anderson) and injuries to various regions to the body have not been prevented.
In regards to keeper league value, each manager decides what the value of each player is. Production of a player within the league will always be the main category that decides their value. Players wearing visors will have minimal effect (if any) in deciding the value of a player in a league.
I hope this answers your questions, but feel free to continue.
Edit: Thank you for the THN compliment (I think it was one at least).
yeah, it was was. an article tailored for dobberhockey could be titled "Visors, For the Benefit of Fantasy Hockey", with a conclusion that the Staals/Bouwmeesters/Prongers of the league just became a little less risky to own.
Thanks for sharing your writing!
We definitely have a spot for you for the Studs and Duds.
This definitely welcomes members looking to share their writing. Thanks.
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