In an effort to make the game safer, Thomas Smith, a former junior player is hoping to add a painted warning track called a “Look-Up Line” to hockey rinks across North America.
Smith—who suffered two separate serious injuries while playing for the Boston Junior A Bulldogs in 2008 and 2009 that left him partially paralyzed—wants there to be a 40-inch-wide orange stripe near the boards that goes around the entire ice surface. Smith contests this would help players be more aware when they are skating into a dangerous area of the ice.
“We are interested in any idea that can improve the health and safety of our hockey community, and this is a very intriguing safety measure,” USA Hockey’s chief medical officer Michael Stuart told USA Today. “The way to look at it is: It may seem ingenious, but we need to study it to demonstrate it is actually effective.
“It’s been compared to a warning track in baseball. But there is a difference because there is also a tactile response in baseball. A player can tell he is running from grass onto cinder or whatever a warning track is made out of. But again, it’s a wonderful idea and needs to be researched.”
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Smith told USA Today he hopes 225 rinks in 27 states in America will begin to use the lines by Oct. 1.
USA Hockey hasn’t officially endorsed Smith’s mission, but the idea has received some positive reviews, including some from pros.
“I don’t see any negative to this at all,” Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers said. “I think NHL players have a feel for where they are on the ice, but this could be helpful for younger players learning where they are in space.”
Ever since his second injury that ended his playing career for good, Smith has been working towards making the game safer.
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