PWHL Requires Full Face Mask, Should the NHL as Well?

The PWHL has incorporated a lot of different rules compared to the NHL, and full face masks is one of those rules

It’s time to discuss a topic that has long been debated on the NHL side but hasn’t crossed over to the Professional Women’s Hockey League yet: whether cages/visors should be optional or should the NHL change to require them? The PWHL requires a full visor or cage, while the NHL allows half visors to be worn. Those of you who’ve followed the NHL for some time may remember the heated debate over making the half visors mandatory back in 2013/14 for any new player entering the league. 

Most young players had already donned the visor without being forced to do so, but there was some pushback, so certain players were grandfathered in. Most players who opted out of any visor or mask are out of the league now except for Ryan Reaves, Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Matt Martin, and the Minnesota Wild’s own Zach Bogosian. Due to their age, these players will likely be out of the league in the next five years or less. So, the era of visorless helmets in the NHL is ending. 

So that leaves one question: Should the PWHL allow players to wear a half visor, or should the NHL start leaning more towards full face masks? As far as the NHL is concerned, there’s been debate over this for years, and unfortunately, it likely won’t go any farther. It took long enough for the NHL to switch to the visor requirement, and over the years, they’ve tried to refuse any safety changes.