NHL GM meetings

[RobDM]

I had the opportunity to cover the NHL general managers' meetings Wednesday an put together the following summary:

http://www.tmlfans.ca/blogs/7919-nhl-general-managers-review-tweaks

What changes would you like to see made to the game? Mandatory visors? Reduction of goalie pad size? Hybrid icing? Coach's challenge?

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Despite a full agenda, there appeared to be little movement on any specific item.

So disappointing, you think they might have some sense of urgency, at least when it comes to the common sense changes being proposed, especially after stiffing the fans out of half a season.

Thanks for the recap Rob.

 

[maplesyrup]

Thanks Rob... Manditoty visors would be swell I suppose. 

 

[PCB]

I'm curious, a person can't walk onto a worksite in Ont. without eye protection.  What is the difference here?  The arena is a dangerous workplace, it has always amazed me that the Min. of Labour has not stepped in and mandated eye protection for players and even bench staff.  By the way I am in favour of mandatory eye protection.

 

[Frank E]

I'm curious, a person can't walk onto a worksite in Ont. without eye protection.  What is the difference here?  The arena is a dangerous workplace, it has always amazed me that the Min. of Labour has not stepped in and mandated eye protection for players and even bench staff.  By the way I am in favour of mandatory eye protection.

Are you a eyewear salesman or something?

 

[Kin]

I'm curious, a person can't walk onto a worksite in Ont. without eye protection.  What is the difference here?  The arena is a dangerous workplace, it has always amazed me that the Min. of Labour has not stepped in and mandated eye protection for players and even bench staff.  By the way I am in favour of mandatory eye protection.

Primarily the difference is that a lot of players question whether or not visors actually make them safer and choose to go without.

 

[PCB]

Surprising that the Ministry doesn't just mandate the eye protection.  If you don't want to use a visor fine here are your safety glasses.  I don't believe players are covered in any way by the WSIB so perhaps the Min. just takes a hands off approach with the league. Who knows.

 

[Kin]

Surprising that the Ministry doesn't just mandate the eye protection.  If you don't want to use a visor fine here are your safety glasses. 

Well, it's along the lines of why the police don't arrest Colton Orr after every game for assault. Different rules.

 

[PCB]

Isn't that the truth.

 

[TML fan]

Visors are just a matter of time. Eventually insurance companies will stop paying out for eye injuries to unprotected players.

 

[Bullfrog]

I'm curious, a person can't walk onto a worksite in Ont. without eye protection.  What is the difference here? 

Aside from the differences, that statement just isn't true.

 

[nutman]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL . injurys are part of the game, god knows they get paid enough for it. soon they will tint the shields, then they will go full face, then we wont see nothing but robot looking machines out there. and i'll bet players will still be injured. cant wait to see how they will stop them injurys. oh ya no hit hockey.

 

[nutman]

Oh ya ... good post Rob. hope you don't turn into another Stracken on us. ;D

 

[Bullfrog]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL .

I don't think you're putting enough consideration into the face that around 73% (if I'm remembering the number correctly) of players already wear visors by choice.

 

[nutman]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL .

I don't think you're putting enough consideration into the face that around 73% (if I'm remembering the number correctly) of players already wear visors by choice.

And the best part of that is they chose to put them on. lets hope we see them all do it, but to make them do it, lets hope not a chance, its a freedom of choice thing, lets keep all we can of that.

 

[losveratos]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL .

I don't think you're putting enough consideration into the face that around 73% (if I'm remembering the number correctly) of players already wear visors by choice.

And the best part of that is they chose to put them on. lets hope we see them all do it, but to make them do it, lets hope not a chance, its a freedom of choice thing, lets keep all we can of that.

Sure... and while we're at it, let's make all protective equipment optional. More freedom god dammit!

Oh and lets not stop at just hockey... seat belts and helmets and everything else should be optional too. Why should construction workers be forced to wear uncomfortable helmets! Lets all be pro choice! Those men know the risks. They can decide for themselves.

Especially since the people we're expecting to make these unbelievably important decisions. Potentially career ending decisions... are 18yr old boys. They would obviously never choose something more so to look cool and fit in with the prongers and such than they would care about their own safety.

Freedom is something that I will always fight for, but what I'm trying to show you here is instead of thinking about the next extreme with your thoughts of losing hits and tank armour wearing bafoons. You should try to think about instead what impact for positive and negative it would have on the sport. And honestly... this one thing on it's own. Not weighing any future hypothetical decisions like yours or my exaggerations. The decision becomes obvious.

Let them grandfather the visors in and be done with it.

 

[RobDM]

Oh ya ... good post Rob. hope you don't turn into another Stracken on us. ;D

Well thanks nutman, and thanks WIGWAL.

Hey I'm not like Strachan, I do smile once in a while. 

I'm in favour of mandatory visors, have been ever since the Berard incident. Helmets used to be optional too, until the league mandated that player safety takes precedence over personal choice - in that regard.

 

[nutman]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL .

I don't think you're putting enough consideration into the face that around 73% (if I'm remembering the number correctly) of players already wear visors by choice.

And the best part of that is they chose to put them on. lets hope we see them all do it, but to make them do it, lets hope not a chance, its a freedom of choice thing, lets keep all we can of that.

Sure... and while we're at it, let's make all protective equipment optional. More freedom god dammit!

Oh and lets not stop at just hockey... seat belts and helmets and everything else should be optional too. Why should construction workers be forced to wear uncomfortable helmets! Lets all be pro choice! Those men know the risks. They can decide for themselves.

Especially since the people we're expecting to make these unbelievably important decisions. Potentially career ending decisions... are 18yr old boys. They would obviously never choose something more so to look cool and fit in with the prongers and such than they would care about their own safety.

Freedom is something that I will always fight for, but what I'm trying to show you here is instead of thinking about the next extreme with your thoughts of losing hits and tank armour wearing bafoons. You should try to think about instead what impact for positive and negative it would have on the sport. And honestly... this one thing on it's own. Not weighing any future hypothetical decisions like yours or my exaggerations. The decision becomes obvious.

Let them grandfather the visors in and be done with it.

I am in favor of visors, but I dont like the way we are being so controled these days. maybe its because back wehn I was younger, we all had a mind of our own and knew what was right and what was wrong, and for the most part made our own choices in life. no visors for the last 100 yrs, but now all of a sudden we need them, it makes you kind of think. as for your rand on seatbelts and such it was a bit over board. seatbelt and visors are two diff worlds. and I never had to be ordered by a rule to put mine on I chose to. sorry I just like my freedom of choice, and cant stand people telling me whats right and wrong for me. I learned all that as a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's.

 

[losveratos]

Lets give a way some more freedom of choice. no visors for 100yrs, and now they must wear them?. whats next no hit hockey. sure visors help, but so would a suit of armor. I think it should be up to the player not the NHL .

I don't think you're putting enough consideration into the face that around 73% (if I'm remembering the number correctly) of players already wear visors by choice.

And the best part of that is they chose to put them on. lets hope we see them all do it, but to make them do it, lets hope not a chance, its a freedom of choice thing, lets keep all we can of that.

Sure... and while we're at it, let's make all protective equipment optional. More freedom god dammit!

Oh and lets not stop at just hockey... seat belts and helmets and everything else should be optional too. Why should construction workers be forced to wear uncomfortable helmets! Lets all be pro choice! Those men know the risks. They can decide for themselves.

Especially since the people we're expecting to make these unbelievably important decisions. Potentially career ending decisions... are 18yr old boys. They would obviously never choose something more so to look cool and fit in with the prongers and such than they would care about their own safety.

Freedom is something that I will always fight for, but what I'm trying to show you here is instead of thinking about the next extreme with your thoughts of losing hits and tank armour wearing bafoons. You should try to think about instead what impact for positive and negative it would have on the sport. And honestly... this one thing on it's own. Not weighing any future hypothetical decisions like yours or my exaggerations. The decision becomes obvious.

Let them grandfather the visors in and be done with it.

I am in favor of visors, but I don't like the way we are being so controlled these days. maybe its because back when I was younger, we all had a mind of our own and knew what was right and what was wrong, and for the most part made our own choices in life. no visors for the last 100 yrs, but now all of a sudden we need them, it makes you kind of think. as for your rand on seat belts and such it was a bit over board. seat belt and visors are two diff worlds. and I never had to be ordered by a rule to put mine on I chose to. sorry I just like my freedom of choice, and cant stand people telling me whats right and wrong for me. I learned all that as a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's.

And visors and hits aren't different worlds themselves? I was trying to use that to show you going to the extreme to prove a point just doesn't work. I was obviously using exaggeration.

As for growing up... I learned to drive in 2000 because I was born in 1984. I grew up in a time when it wasn't a choice to use safety when driving, it was the law.

I have nothing to back it up... but I'm going to guess that the % of sixteen year olds in 2000 that wore their seat belt was much much higher than at the time you were sixteen.

Sometimes laws and rules are useful.

 

[TML fan]

Exactly. Sometimes people need to be protected from their own stupidity.