How The Hockey Helmet Has Improved

Until the late 20th century, hockey players were not required to wear helmets despite numerous injuries. In 1979, the NHL required new league players to wear helmets, but those already in the league were still allowed to play without them. When Craig MacTavish of the Edmonton Oilers retired in 1997, he was the last professional hockey player to play without a helmet.

First Helmets

Boston Bruins player George Owen was the first to wear a helmet, in 1928. He had played football before joining the NHL and wore his leather football helmet. Jacques Plante was the first goalie to wear a mask. In 1959, he used a mask to protect an injury to his face. Like Plante, most players who wore any form of head protection did so because they had already sustained head injuries. Early leather helmets provided minimal protection.

Early Helmet Designs

In the early 1960s, Sweden required that all hockey players wear helmets and set about to design the equipment. First efforts were based on standards for firefighters, motorcyclists and miners. Designers determined that the most important considerations were whiplash and injuries caused by the force of a player falling backward and hitting his head on the ice. The earliest prototypes were riveted, three-piece shells.

First Modern Helmets

In 1974, a patent was a granted for a lightweight helmet made of high-impact plastic lined with sponge rubber. The helmet was designed for minimum weight and maximum protection and cooling. Modern helmets continue to focus on protection, providing adequate ventilation and keeping weight down. Modern helmets also include visors for face protection.

Helmet Safety

Despite advances, ice hockey helmets are still not where they should be. In a 2000 report by CBC News, Dave Halstead, head of the Southern Impact Research Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, stated that hockey helmets still fell "significantly lower" in standards for helmets for other sports.