If you are a hockey player or a hockey parent, you should know the importance of a quality ice hockey helmet in order to prevent concussions and other serious head injuries that can happen while playing the sometimes dangerous game of ice hockey. No matter what level of hockey you play it is imperative that you have sufficient head and/or face protection. Believe it or not, some hockey players care more about how they look while playing than they care about the amount of protection they have on their head. In too many amateur hockey leagues I see hockey players wearing the Wayne Gretzky style Jofa hockey helmets and I wonder if that player knows that they are much more likely to receive serious head injuries due to the lack of padding and protection in these cheap helmets.
If you play in a check ice hockey league you should definitely be wearing the type of hockey helmets that have a proven record of preventing concussions. The hockey helmet manufacturers today have done countless amounts of research on the best materials and designs for preventing head injuries. If you go back just ten years, and look at the helmets that were used then, their is a huge difference in what is being used today, and for very good reason, because these new helmets offer much more in terms of protection. If you have been using the same hockey helmet for years, the chances are that you will want to upgrade to a newer one sooner rather than later in order to decrease your chances of having to deal with an unnecessary head injury.
When looking for a new ice hockey helmet to buy, you should definitely make sure that the padding in the helmet is at least a half inch thick. Also, it is a good idea to get the type of helmet that adjusts in size easily so that you can make sure that your helmet always fits snug, even right after a recent hair cut. Make sure that your chin strap is tight to your chin, and you should consider leaving your ear pieces in for extra ear protection as well. Also, if you are just playing amateur hockey there is no reason not to wear a face mask as well. I can’t tell you how many amateur hockey players I have seen receive serious face injuries due to a wild puck or a careless stick hitting them in the face.
