subject: Hockey Protective Gear [print this page] Hockey Protective Gear Hockey Protective Gear
Hockey protective gear is one of the essential parts of the game, and must be thought about carefully. The game of hockey is a very active contact sport where injuries are very common, and ensuring that these injuries are minimal is vital. Protective helmets are worn by all of the players, and they have saved many lives over the years. The head is the most common place for players to get hit by a number of different objects. These include the puck, skates, sticks, and other players so protecting them as best they can is crucial.
The first recorded player ever to wear protective helmets was George Owen of the Boston Bruins in 1928. Although he wore a helmet, it was not designed for the hockey game but rather for his other passion of football. This player choose to wear his leather college football helmet to protect his head from knocks and blows during the game. Although the introduction of helmets only came into force in 1979, many different designs and styles were worn over the years. Some players understood that hockey protective gear was essential, and wanted to protect their heads.
Many players were aware of how dangerous the sport was, and in 1933, a player slipped on the ice and injured his head so badly that he never played again. After this incident, the designers of the hockey wear realized there was an urgent need for some form of protective helmets. The new design of the hockey protective gear was not mandatory, and many players still choose to play without a helmet. Throughout the later part of the 1930s, some players began to wear the helmets and they were often taunted by fans and even other players.
During a game in 1968, a player fell, and his head injury resulted in him dying; this encouraged more players to take the hockey protective gear seriously. In 1979, the protective helmets became compulsory, and now they are worn in every game all over the world. The helmet has gone through many different changes over the years to improve the comfort and durability of the design. Today the helmets are fully adjustable allowing the players to have the protective helmets fitting perfectly. They also have vents to allow the air to flow freely around their heads.
The inside of the protective helmets are padded with extremely thick foam to allow for extra protection as well as comfort. The designers of the hockey protective gear are constantly improving the designs and styles of the helmets to make them lighter. In 1999, a unique one-piece helmet was designed, and it was the first of its kind being made from Kevlar. These amazing protective helmets were not only double padded for total protection, but also extremely lightweight.
This allowed the players far more freedom than before. The Carbster, as it was named, gave way to many more new designs of protective helmets being designed. The hockey players are always looking for better and lighter helmets to wear that allow them the freedom in the head movements, but with incredible protection. The technology continues allowing for the safety of the players to improve every season.
