Thursday, May 17, 2012

Hockey Playoffs


I don't watch hockey much, but I've seen a couple games during the playoffs happening right now. I find a lot of things odd about hockey. That Florida has a team for one. Also that the playoffs are going on when it's very hot in many parts of the country. But the most vexing is the helmets they wear. Not a single one wears a full face mask, and most of them have the straps holding their helmets on so loose that they don't even keep them in place properly. It would be one thing if there was a rule against pucks flying head-high, but it's actually a blocking technique to slide your entire body in front of the puck to stop a shot on goal--this happens constantly during games. If I played hockey, I'd be wearing a goalie mask even while I was sitting on the bench. I wonder if it's some kind of machismo culture or peer pressure that no one wears a full face mask. Or maybe they would become so fogged that the players wouldn't be able to see. Though if it's the latter, I think that would add another exciting element to the game for us spectators.

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