Controversy brews as NHL and Gary Bettman push for mandatory player equipment change
In the past couple of seasons, the NHL has seen a concerning increasing in injuries related to skate blade cuts, this has caused the league to look into ways to prevent these types of injuries.
This season has been particularly bad for these types of incidents. The worst case being when Evander Kane of the Oilers, who suffered multiple tendons and arteries cut in his wrist earlier in the season. Recently, both Ryan Johansen of the Predators and Tyler Seguin from the Stars have been seriously injured due to skate cuts.
TSN's Chris Johnston reported that the league is looking to implement mandatory protective gear for all new players entering the NHL:
These types of injuries aren't just career-threatening, they could be life-threatening.
Some players may oppose to wearing new protective equipment, but we believe that it should be mandatory for everyone due to the danger involved if a player chooses not to wear the proper protective equipment.
Especially with today's access to unlimited sharp skate blades, that can pop out easily. However, these new blades can create amusing situations
| POLL | ||
Should the league make cut-resistant gear mandatory? | ||
| Yes | 210 | 77.2 % |
| No | 62 | 22.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
