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In several previous blogs, including
one solely devoted to the topic, I have put forth a strong opinion that much of today's hockey equipment in widespread use is substandard garbage that does little to make the game safer and, in some instances, actually contributes to the alarming number of concussions and other serious injuries.
Now there is some independent proof of my belief. Virgina Tech recently released a
study on hockey helmets and found that many popular models in widespread use at all levels of hockey are unsafe and downright useless in preventing or minimizing head injuries. In the meantime, there is a lot of mediocrity in the performance of most of the helmets tested in the study.
Consumer price tag had nothing to do with it, either. Many expensive models fared just as poorly or even worse than ones that cost less to purchase.
Sadly, the findings of this study do not surprise me in the slightest. I deal with these issues on a daily basis, and it is not pretty. It's also not just the helmets. It's also things such as the hard-capped elbow pads that contribute. Not so coincidentally, the style that is the most cost-efficient for the manufacturers is the style that almost inevitably gets peddled to players from a young age onward.
Beyond that, there is often a lack of initiative taken to make sure that players wear kevlar socks (or other skate cut-resistant protection), neck guards, and properly fitted and protective mouth guards that they actually keep in their mouths. Even helmets that are reasonably protective by design have to worn properly.
What has happened in pro hockey is that the tail wags the dog. The NHL -- and the Players' Association in cooperation -- has the ability and power to be at the forefront of this issue by banning the most dangerous varieties of padding and requiring manufacturers to provide alternatives that are protective to the wearer without being hazardous to other players.
Instead, what we get is a whole lot of nothing.
The powers-that-be in the top leagues talk the talk about preventive measures to reduce concussions -- changing checking rules, increasing suspensions -- yet players keep on getting hurt. The padding issue is something that's right there under their noses. The manufacturers need the NHL's stamp-of-approval on their products and they aren't about to cut their noses off to spite their faces by threatening to withdraw sponsorships if the League cracks down on dangerous equipment.
If the NHL and NHLPA take the lead here, other leagues can much more easily follow suit to make the game safer at all levels. If the NHL and the Players Association call out the manufacturers who make the equipment and pump in money as corporate sponsors, they will have to listen because without NHL approval of their products and the visibility of being among the manufacturers whose logos can be displayed on the ice, their bottom line would take a much bigger hit than it would to spend more to produce higher-performance safety equipment.
This is something that needs to happen from the top-down in our sport, because those at the grass roots only have one power here: not letting our kids play hockey. No one wants that, but as a hockey father as well as someone who has made his living in hockey for 40 years and has seen the ravages of preventable injuries far too many times, I am very concerned.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is the chairman of the officiating and discipline committee for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials, while also maintaining a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Stewart is currently working with a co-author on an autobiography.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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