ARGOMENTO: NHL Face Masks Shop - Tennessee Titans for NHL

Hurricanes model trio of cloth face masks for annual team photo

"We know we have to do this to give us a chance," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "No one knows what's going on with this (virus), but we're being told if you wear this, it gives you a better chance to not get it or give it to other people. That's the message, plain and simple."

The players and staff were wearing three different types of masks. One had a large Hurricanes logo across the front on a split red and black background. Another had many small team logos on a black background and the third just read "CANES" with the storm flag inside the "C" in all capital letters across the front.

"I think guys are having fun with it," Hurricanes goalie James Reimer said. "Obviously you're trying to do your part. You had the Canes logos on there, and it is different. I think everyone is looking forward to a time when wearing masks won't be necessary, so you're just kind of grinding it out now and trying to make the best of it."

North Carolina governor and longtime Hurricanes fan Ray Cooper tweeted his approval of the picture and emphasized the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic.

Early Days – Little to No Protective Equipment
In the early days of hockey, there were no helmets, facemasks, or any sort of protective equipment, it just wasn’t anyone’s top priority. Not surprisingly, facial lacerations, concussions, and other head injuries were pretty common. It was rare in those days to see an NHL player who wasn’t missing a few front teeth.

The first hockey player to regularly wear a helmet was George Owen when he played for the Boston Bruins from 1928-29. Back then, helmets and protective gear weren’t required to play the game. In fact, due to peer and fan pressure, many players felt ridiculed and ashamed to wear a helmet.

The 1960s
Despite the repeated injuries, lacerations, concussions, and knocked-out teeth, the majority of hockey players refused to don protective gear for the next 40 years, until an incident in the late 1960’s would change the outlook on safety in hockey.

During a Minnesota North Stars game in January of 1968, Bill Masterton, the center for the North Stars, was skating towards an open puck after a pass. Before he could maneuver out of the way, two opposing players body checked him causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards, slamming his unprotected head into the hard ice.

Modern-Day NHL Helmets
As technology has progressed, so has the technology that goes into hockey helmets, and sporting helmets of all kinds. As concussions and lingering head injuries become a growing problem for players during their careers, and even after they retire, helmets are an ever important part of the game.

Mask wearing is strongly encouraged in some places and mandatory in others. The CDC has said that the use of face masks can slow the spread of the virus. A rising number of states now require that masks be worn in public. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia now mandate masks in public — a list that was joined by Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

They have given us guidelines on how to wear masks, how to wash them, and the 5 features a cloth mask should have.

5 things to look for in a cloth face mask
Fit snugly but comfortably against your face.
Be secured with ties or ear loops.
Include multiple layers of fabric.
Allow for breathing without restriction.
Be able to be laundered and machine dried
Masks can be uncomfortable, especially in the hot weather, and getting our teens to wear them might be tricky. So with summer upon us we asked our Grown and Flown parents which masks they found most comfortable and breathable.

Masks need to be carefully chosen to fit teens’ smaller face sizes.

NHL’s older coaches debate wearing masks, taking precautions

The NHL’s oldest head coach still worries about COVID-19 but not enough to stop doing his job. It’s a risk-reward proposition coaches and executives around sports are weighing, and while Florida assistant Mike Kitchen is the only one to so far opt out of hockey’s return, plenty of others are considering masking up behind the bench and taking other precautions in the middle of a pandemic.

”It’s a different world out there,” Bowness, 65, said. ”I’m going to have to adjust to it, there is no question. I just want to make sure I’m cautious, which we’ve been since this virus started, and I will continue to do that. My health – hey, I’m a grandfather now, my first grandkid. I intend on playing some golf with that kid down the road. I intend on being here a lot longer. So, yeah, am I going to be careful? Absolutely.”

”I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do,” Trotz said Wednesday on his 58th birthday. ”I’m not too concerned. I’m in pretty good health, but it affects everybody differently if you do get it. I don’t want to get it, so there’s a good chance I could have a mask behind the bench, but I haven’t decided yet. I should say I don’t want to give it to anybody if I have it, but I don’t.”

”We’re all doing everything we can not to bring it into our locker room,” Bowness said. ”Give our players credit, as well, because this is a big sacrifice for everyone and they’re looking after themselves.”

”It was possibly easier for me, because of the fact that I was pretty darn safe right from the start,” 53-year-old Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice said. ”I’m really confident in what goes on in our building, tested every second day, I don’t feel particularly exposed.”Tennessee Titans for NHL Face Masks

Like many NHL players, Brent Burns is missing a few teeth. He has lost three playing hockey and a fourth he says is barely hanging on. "Many casual fans might assume all players are missing a few teeth — not true — but there is far more interest in keeping the originals than there was in the 1980s, a time Kings coach Darryl Sutter recalls seeing players writing their numbers on coffee cups, putting their teeth in the cups and setting them on a shelf before games.
"The joke was switching teeth around," Sutter said with a sly grin."

​The only way the NHL is able to prevent more tooth loss is to mandate players to use a full cage face mask. But in the NHL that isn't going to happen any time soon.

​"Dental care is one of the progressive moves made by the NHL, according to Predators general manager David Poile. When Poile was an administrative assistant for the Atlanta Flames in the early '70s, he said, he doesn't recall the team even having a dentist.
"An oral surgeon who can also do plastic surgery is ideal," added Pronger. "I had a nice set of teeth. Now, I've got new ones. And, I broke my jaw and you probably can't tell I had 50 stitches here and 27 there."

​A few tips in case a tooth gets knocked out- don't wash it in water. Put the tooth in a cup of milk or saliva, or keep it safe under your tongue. Get to your dentist ASAP! If your dentist can see you within 30 min there is a good chance the tooth can be replanted.