Goals, Bulletproof Equipment and what needs to change.

Hey, sure goals are down this year. Unless you are playing the Habs or Leafs.

But, I'm here not as a schadenfreude or an asshole. I'm here as an asshole critic.


I wrote an essay awhile back in regards to fighting in the NHL. Although the proof is in the pudding that getting punched in the head isn't good for your health. I argued it was necessary to the game. 3 years later, hockey is missing fighting.

I am here today to present this argument. A fist hurts. Quite a bit. But, a piece of hard plastic equipment that could and probably would stop a bullet would hurt more. I'm not a physicist and the closest I can come to one is to shout E=MC2 at people at the bus stop.

In today's game in hockey. It is built to be fast paced, entertaining and be turned on a dime. Nothing more exciting than seeing a game in the final minute with the goalie pulled or overtime hockey. What is lost in all of this is. The faster the game, the higher and more severe the injuries within the game are.

Sticks used to be Wooden. Which you could argue would be a weapon. I propose to you this; a stick built to shoot a puck at 100 MpH is more of a weapon than a piece of wood. A shot as hard as a bullet hitting you point blank. Unfortunately twice this year they have hit hands. And unsurprisingly made them look like a dog's breakfast. Concussions ravage the sport, diagnosed or undiagnosed.

So, players wear lighter skates, designed to go faster, harder and the ability to turn on a dime. Long are the days that Gretzky used to have to change his skates for freshness. Dylan Larkin came in at under 13 seconds to skate the entire rink, and honestly he's not the only one. so at about 37 Clicks we have players hitting other people. Now back to the bulletproof equipment. You are not going to feel much if you plow into another player. The other player feels it.

That is what is wrong with the game at a concussion and injury riddled season. If I punch you in the face, I know how hard I hit you cause I can feel it. If I skate at you like a bullet train and hit you with a big ass piece of plastic; I will never know how hard I hit you. I cannot feel it. It keeps the player honest if you feel what you dish out. (I'll get into the instigator another day)

So, does today's equipment need a change.

Yes.

The NHL and NHLPA would like to change the goalie's equipment size to increase scoring. I proposed they should look at the players equipment as well. So they can stop sacrificing the lives and well-being of their players.

Best Regards,

Devon Hunt