High sticks, sharp blades and flying hockey pucks are all the more reason to protect yourself on the ice. While hockey helmets are mandatory in most leagues, it's also important to wear a helmet during practice and in leisure games. Properly fitting hockey helmets can go a long way in protecting you from serious injury.
Materials
Hockey helmets are packed with foam that is usually five-eighths of an inch thick. The outside of the helmet is made of a polycarbonate material. This polycarbonate material is a hard, lightweight plastic that helps to protect your head from direct blows. Hockey helmets may come in one- or two-piece models. You can also add protective face gear to many helmets. These thin plastic face shields can cover your entire face, or just your eyes. Helmets also include ear protectors and are vented in order to keep you cool as you play.
Fit
A well-fitting hockey helmet is important to your safety as a hockey player. A hockey helmet should fit snugly in order to prevent movement and provide you with the best possible protection. The chin strap on your hockey helmet should be adjusted so that it lightly makes contact with your chin when it is fastened. The rim of a properly fitting hockey helmet should be one finger's width away from your eyebrows. The helmet should always make contact with the top of your head.
Injuries
Concussions are the most common head injury in the NHL. Concussions can result from a direct blow to the head from another player or a hockey stick. You may also sustain a concussion from falling to the ice or hitting your head on the glass or boards. Hockey players with concussions can suffer from headaches, dizziness, neck pains, nausea, confusion, sleep disturbances, memory problems and irritability. Concussions can sideline players for weeks or years, and they are a growing concern in the National Hockey League. At the midway point of the 2010-2011 hockey season, the NHL had 20 players sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, including Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.
History
Until the 1970s, hockey helmets were very rare in the National Hockey League. The first hockey helmet was presented to the National Hockey League in 1927 -- it was rejected. From 1927 to 1933, only one player in the NHL wore a helmet, George Owen of the Boston Bruins. In 1933, Toronto's Ace Bailey hit his head so hard on the ice that a priest came to offer Bailey his last rites. While Bailey survived, his hockey career was over. It was not until 1968 that hockey helmets became mainstream. After Minnesota's Bill Masterton died of a massive brain injury after hitting his head on the ice, players from all leagues began wearing helmets. In June 1979, helmets became mandatory in the NHL.
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