A good number of NHL players don't wear helmets in warmups, but Taylor Hall likely will from now on. The Edmonton Oilers forward took a skate blade to the forehead on Tuesday night in Columbus, and if he had a helmet on, it's possible that the damage wouldn't have been so severe.
Following the incident, the Oilers are rethinking the policy. Should players be forced to wear helmets during warmups? Via the Edmonton Sun, here's general manager Steve Tambellini:
"We're going to talk about it," said GM Steve Tambellini. "It was a bizarre happening, but it was a reminder that, whether practising, playing the game or in warmups, things can happen."
It's not as if injuries happen in warmups all the time. In fact, it's actually a bit surprising that injuries don't happen in warmups all the time, with so many pucks flying around and so many players in such a small area. Is a freak injury enough to cause a real change in the policy?
As we've learned with things such as hits to the head and Rule 48 and all that, there's even push back on changing the rules when injuries are frequent and change is obviously needed, so there will almost certainly be no rush to change things here.
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