Head shots are the most popular fodder for hockey panels these days, but there is another serious – and preventable – injury that is much more common: skate lacerations.
Since hockey began, players have been injured in the heat of the battle by sharp blades on their feet, but the frequency of skate lacerations is increasing.
This season alone in the NHL, big name players such as Andrei Markov, Kevin Bieksa, Cam Ward, Ryan Getzlaf and Marian Gaborik missed games due to skate laceration injuries.
These injuries usually happen during large pileups in front of the net after the whistle. In the chaos it is easy for one unlucky player to be accidently stepped on or clipped by another player’s skate.
These aren’t injuries players can just skate off between play. In most cases, the skate lacerations are so deep they cut muscle tendons, leaving the players out of the line-up for several months as they recover.
The more serious injuries have people fighting for their lives.
On Dec. 30 last year, Kevin Brown, a junior linesman, was trying to break up a fight when a player’s leg swung up and the skate slashed his throat. The skate cut his carotid artery and put Brown in critical condition.
Last February, NHL linesman Pat Dapuzzo had his nose cut off and his face fractured. Both linesmen recovered but almost died on the ice.
It is time for skaters to take their safety in their own hands and protect themselves. While there is greater opportunity for injury these days, there is no shortage of protection options.
Hockey is a different game than it was 20 years ago. The players are faster, stronger and bigger than ever.
The technology has also improved and with better pad protection, the players are more inclined to get physical. Skates are more dangerous too – players skate on two razor-sharp blades that are regularly sharpened by training and equipment staff.
After the incident with Brown, the Ontario Hockey Association considered making neck guards mandatory for officials.
However, most hockey players don’t wear their chin strap on their helmets properly so neck guards wouldn’t be a popular option.
Visors should also be mandatory, but their use is widely debated. Wearing a visor would largely prevent Dapuzzo’s incident from repeating as Dapuzzo himself has admitted.
One of the most common skate laceration injuries is also preventable – the boot top laceration. This is when a skate cuts through the soft tongue of the skate and into the foot.
Skaters could avoid this by tucking the tongue under the shin pad and taping the area well.
Skate lacerations are simply a mix of bad luck and a careless attitude.
When they take to the ice, both players and officials, need to take more precaution. Hockey associations should force skaters to wear more protective equipment so we don’t see incidents like Brown and Dapuzzo in the future.
Today’s standards just don’t cut it.