Saturday 4.11. SM league matches are watched on Puhe’s Ice Hockey Tour from 4:30 p.m. Listen to the broadcast at this link.
Style above all else. Bare wrists, bare neck.
That’s the look of a slob. It looks and feels right.
Unfortunately, however, the style may also be associated with profuse bleeding, nerve damage, a hospital operating table or, at worst, death.
Adam Johnson got a cut on his neck from an opponent’s skate in a match played in England and died. Johnson, who also played in the NHL during his career, did not use a neck protector.
We don’t know if a neck brace would have saved Johnson’s life. But it can be said with certainty that there would be no harm in a neck protector in a similar situation.
Last season, a skate made a horrible mark on Waltteri Merelä’s wrist. The cut was a millimeter and a half away from the nerve. Merelä did not wear protection on his wrists. Now the forward representing Tampa Bay is wearing them.
Fortunately, Merelä survived in the end with a two-month sick leave. KooKoo’s defender Saku Vesterinen career ended again to a similar wrist incision.
There have been several similar cases. They have caused some hockey players to become aware of neck and wrist protection. Johnson’s death caused many SM league players to put the neck guard in place.
So it took an incident that took a person’s life to wake up to the need for shelters. And yet, some still continue to play without that gear. It’s crazy to play with your health.
How does the cut protection feel in the hand?
I play hockey, but for some reason I haven’t found cut wrist guards in my equipment bag. It has not been about style, but simply thoughtlessness.
Realizing my stupidity, I walked into a store selling hockey equipment. Anti-scald wristbands made in Finland, 19 euros and 90 cents. That’s a cheap price to pay for protecting your arteries and nerves.
However, many top players do not agree to get their hands on these. They think they feel awkward and hinder gameplay.
Let’s try. How do they feel?
Not at all. Not at all. At most, the same as pulling socks on your feet. How many people think when walking that it’s difficult to walk when wearing these damn socks.
Yes, I know professional hockey players are extremely particular about their equipment. If something tightens even a little, the equipment is tuned to feel right. Unsuitable parts are cut off from gloves or other game clothes if necessary.
Dear hockey players, it’s all about what you’re used to. If you get used to playing with wrist and neck protection from junior high, use them in the same way as knee pads or a helmet.
And when the NHL star Mikko Rantanen can keep them on his wrists and conjure up nights of four power points, it’s pointless for a league player to worry that they hinder playing. They don’t hurt.
I also recommend listening to Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen heavy words related to the topic. Nättinen did not wear wrist guards in his career. The neck guard was also in place only in games.
Bare necks are not accepted in Sweden
The neck guard seems to hinder players even more than covering the wrists. It is not even mandatory equipment in all puck series.
In Finland, many players hang the cover under their jersey. The rules say that a neck protector must be worn in the SM league, but no one has monitored how it is used.
Now, according to Urheilu, more attention is being paid to it. We got a taste of this in Thursday’s round, when the home team in the Ilves-Kärpät match To Otto Latvala was sentenced to jail for having the wrong equipment. It was just about the neck guard.
I welcome the policy, which should have been in place even before Johnson’s tragic incident.
Why do players not like the neck guard? I do not understand. Those old-fashioned neck protectors felt really stiff, I remember that from my junior playing years.
But even here, the development of equipment has done its job. You can get a neck protector integrated into the undershirt for a few tens. I recommend.
And how does it feel up there? Same as a thin polo shirt.
I know, not necessarily very fashionable, but feel good. Soft and almost imperceptible. Stays in place. And protects against skate cuts.
Swedes are often considered more style conscious than Finns. So you should look in the direction of the western neighbor. Neck protection is mandatory there, just like in Finland, but its use is controlled. The referee intervenes in the game if the neck is exposed. Kaukalo has nothing to do without it. It’s that easy.
I really hope that the old-fashioned puddle fashion will change. The game isn’t about who looks believable and who doesn’t.
The players’ health, even their lives, are at stake.