Hockey Part 2

There was a time when Hockey was played without helmets.

Think about that for a moment. Not only are we talking about a full contact sport, hurdling across the hard ice at breakneck (intersting word, breakneck) with fighting and bone jarring hits...but the puck itself is made from vulcanized rubber, hard as steel, and prone to taking flight at the least flick of the wrist.

So you can imagine the days of old school hockey - talk about men. When I moved to New Jersey in 1986, my friend down the block had season tickets. So we'd go to games all the time (I will always maintain that I have had a blessed life). And back then, the NHL had only recently instituted a mandatory helmet rule - for new players. All the old and current players went without. And man, we are talking about 2- 3 bench clearing brawls a game. Especially brutal when the Philadelphia Flyers were in town (lookout - it's Marty McTavish!) or the Washington Captitals. Either team provided ample fisticuffs, bad attitudes and brutal mid-ice body checks. Ah, the good times I had at Brendan Byrne Arena.

But, even further back, hockey goalies didn't wear helmets or face masks. In the days of legendary Hobie Baker (a fellow St. Paul's alumnus) goalies faced slapshots with a padded sweater and a steely eyed stare. No protective fiberglass helmet, no metal grill, no mouth guard. One supersonic black puck of death, covering hundreds of feet in a fraction of a second. And no protection but the quick reflexes and utter certainty of bad-ass-ness.