Few NHL Players Remain Without Face Visors

TORONTO — Conversations about opting for facial protection are not uncommon for Ryan O’Reilly. Family members frequently reach out to urge the seasoned NHL center to start wearing a visor for safety.

Despite close encounters involving sticks, pucks, and skate blades around his face, O’Reilly remains firm in his decision not to add the protective gear. “Every time I get a little stick or anything, even a little scrape, they’re always looking at me,” he shared. “But hockey players are creatures of habit. It’s just something I’ve been so used to.”

At 34, the Nashville Predators’ forward belongs to a select group of NHL players who hit the ice visor-free. Since the 2013-14 season, any player with less than 25 games must wear a visor, as mandated by a league rule change.

Currently, the roster of NHL players not adopting “windshields” includes O’Reilly, Dallas captain Jamie Benn, Minnesota defenseman Zach Zach Bogosian, and enforcers like Matt Martin from the Islanders and Ryan Reaves from Toronto. The aging Martin, 35, hasn’t played since January due to injury, while Reaves, now 38, was recently sent down to the American Hockey League after clearing waivers.
The days of visor-less players in the league seem numbered. “My mom is always telling me to put it on,” Benn confessed, yet he remains steadfast. “But I’m not going to change my ways.”

Facial injuries have occurred in the NHL, notably with Toronto’s Bryan Berard, who sustained a severe eye injury in 2000 from a high-stick incident while playing unprotected. Bogosian, despite the risks, expresses an attachment to the unobstructed view. “Something I’m used to,” he says. “There’s certainly some close calls, but I don’t really think about it.”

Predators coach Andrew Brunette, who played pro hockey starting in 1993, added a visor midway through his career due to similar close calls. “We didn’t know any different,” he explained, hinting that not wearing one was a part of the hockey culture then. Ironically, players in junior leagues, the NCAA, and the AHL are required to wear visors or full cages.

Reaves recalls his first NHL game with the St. Louis Blues in 2010 when teammates convinced him to remove his visor before the game, a decision he stuck with ever since, despite nudges from his mother. “I’ve taken a few sticks by the eye,” he admits, highlighting family concerns.
Benn, who was the NHL’s leading scorer in the 2014-15 season, reveals he can’t quite remember why he chose not to wear a visor. “Thought it was cool, I guess,” the 35-year-old said candidly.

Matt Duchene of Dallas, who once played with O’Reilly in Nashville, appreciates their choice. “The game’s fast and stuff happens out there,” he acknowledged. “You’ve got to protect yourself, but I love to see (them) with no visor.” Nonetheless, he advised, “You can fix everything south of your eyes.”

Entering the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche in 2009, O’Reilly didn’t feel the previous pressure to forgo the visor rule, yet he partly attributes his decision to wanting to appear tougher. “Maybe it helped me look a little tougher than I actually am,” he quipped. “Maybe I felt I had a little more grit to my game taking it off.”