TORONTO — Visors could become mandatory for all players entering the NHL as soon as next season.
The NHL Players’ Association is planning on polling its membership to see if it would like to have visors grandfathered in for next year, according to executive Mathieu Schneider.
It’s not known what percentage of players would need to support the motion for it to pass, but Schneider indicated that the union is planning to conduct the vote prior to the competition committee meeting in June.
The visor debate has been a hot-button issue in hockey for more than a decade.
However, a recent eye injury suffered by New York Rangers defenceman Marc Staal and the Vancouver Canucks decision to shut down Manny Malhotra earlier this year may have helped change attitudes in the game.
“With the injuries we’ve seen, part of me thinks the time has come,” Schneider told Sportsnet.ca on Wednesday.
If a rule were to be drafted, it would only make visors mandatory for players entering the league. Approximately 73 per cent of NHL players currently wear one.
Schneider played his entire 21-year career without a visor before retiring in 2010. He wants the league to work with manufacturers to ensure they’re making visors that fit properly on helmets before any rule is brought in.
“That’s been an issue of mine,” said Schneider. “I tried it several times in my career, I had close calls, but the visors are all one size. They pull the helmets out, the helmets don’t fit properly.
“We have to make sure we have good products before we make them mandatory.”
Schneider attended a meeting of the league’s general managers on Wednesday and found a group that was willing to see visors become a mandatory piece of equipment.
“I don’t think there’s anyone that can argue that it’s not smart to put it on,” said Schneider.