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The Islanders are out of the playoffs and Lou Lamoriello is always ahead of the game. His ability to keep things together (and faces shaven) is beyond impressive. If there are deals to be made, the Isles will certainly get them done.
For today’s “Gear Corner”, I unknowingly picked one of the more complicated issues in player equipment when I asked Doug Todd over at Warrior about Helmets.
If you missed my first two gear articles you can find them here:
my first gear corner with Doug Todd from Warrior Hockey.
My second “Gear Corner” talked a bit about gloves.
In looking at the development of player equipment, helmets have changed immensely. Not only the look and features, but the requirements and the number of quality checks needed to be satisfied.
I remember Chris Osgood talking about trying to keep getting his 2 piece helmets. It took a trainer finding one in Russia to keep him going (and painting it. Red). Osgood joked that there wasn’t really much protection, it was about visibility. He eventually had to swap, and the days of using helmets without required protection are (thankfully) gone.
Each safety mandate comes with some resistance. Kronwall met the visor requirement but had it positioned so high that it was nullified. Pro players are extremely picky about what they use, and if something is comfortable (even if dangerous) for them, change is hard fought.
Doug gave me an education that I wasn’t expecting, and as always, I am very grateful. See below what my gear guru had to say:
Doug - Helmets are a tough one for a lot of hockey players but particularly pro hockey players. Back in the 80’s and 90’s helmet rules were extremely lax in pro hockey and players could “get away” with a lot more than they can today. What immediately comes to mind is the Wayne Gretzky Jofa helmet. It was literally a thin plastic shell with zero padding inside. It was actually a broomball helmet but because the NHL didn’t have very defined helmet rules, guys wore it as an easy way to comply with the helmet requirement.
Today, helmet rules and specifications are much more strict and all helmets must be certified by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Conformitè Europëenne (CE) before they can be sold at retail or used on-ice. These certifications all involve a series of tests to determine the effectiveness of the helmet and it’s overall safety.
Because of these standards and regulations, helmets have become much more of a challenge in pro hockey. Why? Because now the helmet has to fit correctly and be comfortable to the player AS-IS, right out of the box. Players can’t modify (remove) parts of the liner to make it fit differently like they could in the old days. That being the case, helmets have become a piece of equipment that many pro players are extremely picky about.
With pro players, not only does the helmet have to fit correctly and comfortably but a surprising number of them are concerned with how the helmet looks on their head. If the helmet looks too tall, some guys won’t wear it. If it’s too wide, they won’t wear it. And they all know instantly when they put it on. When players put on a helmet for the first time and it isn’t comfortable, very few will give it a chance to “break-in.” After they look in the mirror, if they don’t like what’s looking back at them, it’s a no-go.
I really have to hand it to our Warrior Pro Services team. They all work extremely hard to get our players into the correct helmet and fit them correctly. Sometimes it’s a quick and easy job and other times it’s a marathon of trying models, sizes, liners, etc to find the right fit and look. But they always get it done.
Warrior helmets: https://www.warrior.com/hockey_helmets
**Thanks again to Doug for taking so much time with these gear corner features. I hope you enjoy them!
Check out some of my previous posts
Alex Tanguay is a new assistant coach in Detroit.
I posted about the state of the Wings being at about half of the team it needs to be..
Frank Seravalli’s top 20 list has some options for Detroit.
My second summer reading post took a look at the world’s funniest bar fight.
My second “Gear Corner” talked a bit about gloves.
The Golden Knights are out of the playoffs.
Updated mock drafts have Detroit looking at Wallstedt, Eklund and Edvinsson.
Helm and Filppula could be moving on.
Jared McIsaac may finally be healthy enough to have a solid pro year.
My first “summer reading post” covered Chelios’s career defining fib.
Friday was my first gear corner with Doug Todd from Warrior Hockey.
Albert Johansson won’t be competing for a spot in North America this season
I will be featuring the writings of Kevin Allen for a summer reading program this year. It’s tough to break up the summer months, and the one on one formats that Kevin has perfected is not only a pleasure to read but gives insight that isn’t easy to come by. I’ll be starting with Chris Chelios “Made in America”.
Colorado is out of the playoffs.
Isle be darned, Boston is out 
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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