How to Strap on a Hockey Helmet

Ice hockey is a great sport with tremendous grace, flow and beauty. It is also a violent game with plenty of on-ice collisions. Helmets are mandatory at all levels of play. No player has skated bare-headed on National Hockey League ice since Craig McTavish went without a helmet in 1996. In order to get the benefit and protection from the protective headgear, it must be worn correctly.

Instructions

    • 1

      Put the helmet on your head and try it on for size before your buy it. If the helmet feels too tight, or as if it was sitting on top of your head, it is too small. If your head is moving around inside the helmet, it is too large. The helmet should be a clean fit over your forehead and it should feel snug--neither too loose nor too tight.

    • 2

      Make sure there is a visor on your helmet. Visors are mandatory at all levels of hockey other than professional. They are necessary to protect your eyes and face from a hard shot or an errant stick. You should have at least 1/2 inch of daylight between the end of your nose and the hard plastic visor in front of the mask. Anything less that that could result in a serious cut on your nose following a stick, puck or elbow to the visor.

    • 3

      Buckle the chin strap at the bottom of your helmet. Your helmet will lose at least 50 percent of its protective ability if it is not snapped. The strap should be taut to your chin if you are going to receive proper protection.

    • 4

      Wear a mouth guard when you play. Your visor will likely go down as low as your chin. However, if your opponent puts his stick up under the visor, you could easily suffer a significant cut or a chipped tooth without a mouth guard.