Have you noticed most kids don't wear their mouthguards anymore? Most chew on it, some have it stuck in their mask. This started when mouthguards were required to be attached to the mask. Prior to that most wore the "pro-form" type made by a dentist that stayed on your teeth. A couple of years ago they reversed the rule and the mouthguard no longer has to be attached but most have not changed.
Last week we had a young ref require our kids to put their mouthguard in before he would drop the puck. At the beginning of the second period he warned that he would give penalties to anybody not wearing a mouthguard and he did. By the third period everyone was wearing their mouthguard. A little enforcement goes a long ways.
Mouthguards
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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slow feet no hands guy
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Mouthguards
A coach has the ability to demand that the players play with their mouthguard in. If they play without it and the ref gives them a penalty, too bad. I bet mommy and daddy only have to watch their player in the box for 12 minutes one time. The player will get the message.
Mouthguards are a vital piece, especially as kids progress thru PW's and Bantams.
Please don't blame the officials because they enforce the rule. I do think however that the ref has every right to offer the player a warning first.
Mouthguards are a vital piece, especially as kids progress thru PW's and Bantams.
Please don't blame the officials because they enforce the rule. I do think however that the ref has every right to offer the player a warning first.
In reviewing the equipment rules set by USA Hockey, rule 304(c) specifically addresses mouthguards. The first paragraph introduces the fact that all players need an internal mouthpiece that covers all the teeth of one jaw. Paragraph two states that "for the first violation of this rule, the team shall be issued a warning. A misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper of that team for a subsequent violation during the game".
In recent D6 games misconduct penalties have been assessed for people skating to and from faceoffs without their mouthguards in. I'm not sure that was the intent of the rule.
In recent D6 games misconduct penalties have been assessed for people skating to and from faceoffs without their mouthguards in. I'm not sure that was the intent of the rule.
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niceice909
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ok bud when they did this was it in red wing?
cuz they did that with us.
but neways i wear my mouth guard to the left side of my mouth and i hate when refs make me put it in only for 1 reason i connot talk with it in no1 can understand u and communication is one of the biggest parts of the game it is very hard to play a good game with out talking
cuz they did that with us.
but neways i wear my mouth guard to the left side of my mouth and i hate when refs make me put it in only for 1 reason i connot talk with it in no1 can understand u and communication is one of the biggest parts of the game it is very hard to play a good game with out talking
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QuackerTracker
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I think that some refs are too concerned about mothgaurds. I don't believe that it should even be the responsiblity of the officials to make kids wear them. I will never call a penalty on someone for not having it in. It's just another delay in the game and with the new line of enforcement there are all ready a lot.
I'll bet there is not one professional hockey player that DOES NOT wear a mouthgaurd and they seem to communicate with each other. Get a fitted one from a dentist and you should be able to talk with your linemates on the ice.niceice909 wrote:ok bud when they did this was it in red wing?
cuz they did that with us.
but neways i wear my mouth guard to the left side of my mouth and i hate when refs make me put it in only for 1 reason i connot talk with it in no1 can understand u and communication is one of the biggest parts of the game it is very hard to play a good game with out talking
The only time an official can give the warning and or misconduct penalty is before the puck drops. They can not stop play because a mouth gaurd is out. Same reasoning as a player losing a glove and continues to play, but they can not start play without one.
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QuackerTracker
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Can you get a fitted mouthgaurd that attaches to the cage? I am not an expert, but I don't remember being able to get one from a dentist that can be attached so that's a problem for kids in some districts.RLStars wrote:I'll bet there is not one professional hockey player that DOES NOT wear a mouthgaurd and they seem to communicate with each other. Get a fitted one from a dentist and you should be able to talk with your linemates on the ice.
You are right, refs can not stop play for a kid not wearing one. But if you do call a penalty for it you have to put the kid in the box, report it to the score keeper, and explain it to the coach. It ends up being another minute of ice time waisted.
It is not a USA Hockey rule that the mouth guard needs to be attached to the facemask, but they do need to be colored. If your district is requiring one to be attached, go to them and explain that a fitted one does not have an attachment feature, get them to change it. I know that district 5 does not require them to be attached.
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QuackerTracker
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It is not that easy to just go to a district and get a rule changes. D6 does required attached mouthgaurs which I think is a joke but that's just me. I am glad to know that there is someone making attachable mouthguards.RLStars wrote:It is not a USA Hockey rule that the mouth guard needs to be attached to the facemask, but they do need to be colored. If your district is requiring one to be attached, go to them and explain that a fitted one does not have an attachment feature, get them to change it. I know that district 5 does not require them to be attached.
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backhander
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mouthguards
Mouthguards are an important piece of protective equipment that can help to protect against concussion, TMJ injuries and jaw fracture in addition to protecting your teeth. Many players have developed a cavalier attitude about wearing mouthguards and general lack of rule enforcement supports this attitude. Chewing on a mouthguard is a habit developed as a result of wearing an ill fitting mouthguard. Professionally fabricated mouthguards (Proform style) offer the benefit of a custom fit but can be expensive (some dentists and orthos do offer free mouthguards as "practice builders" at the beginning of the season) and require a trip to the dentist to have an impression taken after which they must be sent to a lab to be fabricated. There are mouthguards available at retail that offer a "custom" fit that rivals that of dental fabricated mouthguards while providing high level of protection for $10 - $20. With a properly fitted mouthguard, breathing and communication are not a problem. Hey QuackerTracker, do your job. It's not your place to determine which rules are worthy of enforcement. Bud is right on - a little enforcement goes a long way.
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QuackerTracker
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Re: mouthguards
I never said I didn't tell them to put them in but the 2 seconds it takes for a kid to put it in is a lot shorter then the time it takes to assess a penalty. With all the complaints from parents about ice time and delays in games why make another one and make a kid miss 10 minutes. I simply remind them and if they have to take there glove off to do it the puck is getting dropped while their glove is off.backhander wrote:Hey QuackerTracker, do your job. It's not your place to determine which rules are worthy of enforcement. Bud is right on - a little enforcement goes a long way.
I agree with Quacker Tracker on this one if this is how he approaches the matter. He is applying common sense to solve an issue without inserting himself into the game by calling trite/triffling penalties.
Coaches and parents also need to take a stricter stance, however the message the hockey community is receiveing is mixed across the state.
D6 is probably the most strict ( intrusive ) or sensitive to lawsuits (?)
D6 also has a policy that goalies need to basically wear two neckguards.
Most Goalie specific neck guards do not cover the back of the neck so they require goalies to wear a skaters neck guard (no padding just coverage protection. But a skaters neckguard offers no padding in the front neck/throat area and D6 has basically inserted themselve into ruling saying that the current goalie neckguards manufactured specifically for goalies by goalie product managers are not adequate. My wife actually sewed a skaters neckguard to mesh with my son's goalie neckguard and had a D6 referee tell him he couldn't wear that even though it met the requirements wearing two different ones would have provided becasue D6 ruling says a goalie must wear a skaters neckguard. It was so stupid!
So D6 has some stricter standards then the other districts. I do not like the lack of consistency across the state so I appreciate when I hear a referee want to insert common sense into the game rather than the need to apply silly penalties and delays.
Coaches and parents also need to take a stricter stance, however the message the hockey community is receiveing is mixed across the state.
D6 is probably the most strict ( intrusive ) or sensitive to lawsuits (?)
D6 also has a policy that goalies need to basically wear two neckguards.
Most Goalie specific neck guards do not cover the back of the neck so they require goalies to wear a skaters neck guard (no padding just coverage protection. But a skaters neckguard offers no padding in the front neck/throat area and D6 has basically inserted themselve into ruling saying that the current goalie neckguards manufactured specifically for goalies by goalie product managers are not adequate. My wife actually sewed a skaters neckguard to mesh with my son's goalie neckguard and had a D6 referee tell him he couldn't wear that even though it met the requirements wearing two different ones would have provided becasue D6 ruling says a goalie must wear a skaters neckguard. It was so stupid!
So D6 has some stricter standards then the other districts. I do not like the lack of consistency across the state so I appreciate when I hear a referee want to insert common sense into the game rather than the need to apply silly penalties and delays.
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mnreferee1
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Assessing a penalty for not wearing a mouthguard is very frustrating. Every other penalty is black and white. You do it, you sit. The fact that we have to warn a player to properly wear their protective equipment is ludicris(for those younger posters I am not refering to the Rap Artist). Coaches and Parents should take a stonger stance on this. It goes right along with a properly fitted helmet and mask. Kids believe they are invicible and will never get hurt. That is one of the great things about being a kid. NO FEAR. I have watched too many kids suffer concussions on what appear to be minor incidents and in each case either the mouthguard or helmet and mask were not being worn correctly.
A player I know worked her entire hockey career for the chance to play in college. Unfortunetly she suffered her fourth concussion halfway into her freshman year in college and is unable to play any longer. I watched her since she was 12 years old and sat in the stands with her mother and constantly harped on the mouthguard issue. She at one time was only placing the string of a mouthguard in her mouth to make it apear as though she had one. The Mom's reply was "what can I do". My answer was "If she was playing in the street you would stop her so she wouldn't get hurt. Why can't you do the same with the mouthguard". WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A CHILDS BRAIN.
And siteing expense as an excuse, shame on you. How many mouthguards can be purchased for the price of a composite stick.
I think Mouthguards are kind of like seatbelts. If you wear it all the time it becomes second nature. If players are required by their parents and the coaches to wear mouthguards at all practices, as well as games, the refs would never have to even think about the misconduct. The ref is the last line of defense to protect these kids. It's a shame when they get ridiculed for doing what Mom and Dad should already be doing.
By the way, I think it is more important that the player is wearing the mouthguard then sitting for ten minutes but I have no problem handing out the misconduct when it is warranted.
A player I know worked her entire hockey career for the chance to play in college. Unfortunetly she suffered her fourth concussion halfway into her freshman year in college and is unable to play any longer. I watched her since she was 12 years old and sat in the stands with her mother and constantly harped on the mouthguard issue. She at one time was only placing the string of a mouthguard in her mouth to make it apear as though she had one. The Mom's reply was "what can I do". My answer was "If she was playing in the street you would stop her so she wouldn't get hurt. Why can't you do the same with the mouthguard". WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A CHILDS BRAIN.
And siteing expense as an excuse, shame on you. How many mouthguards can be purchased for the price of a composite stick.
I think Mouthguards are kind of like seatbelts. If you wear it all the time it becomes second nature. If players are required by their parents and the coaches to wear mouthguards at all practices, as well as games, the refs would never have to even think about the misconduct. The ref is the last line of defense to protect these kids. It's a shame when they get ridiculed for doing what Mom and Dad should already be doing.
By the way, I think it is more important that the player is wearing the mouthguard then sitting for ten minutes but I have no problem handing out the misconduct when it is warranted.
[quote="tomASS"]
D6 is probably the most strict ( intrusive ) or sensitive to lawsuits (?)
[quote]
One of the last years I reffed there was a civil case in Michigan or Mass. where a referee was sued for not enforcing a mouthguard rule, if I remember it right he told a kid numerous times to put it in but wouldn't call him on it, then the kid gets hit and suffers a concussion so they sue the ref. The ref admits to multiple warnings but no penalty thereby condeming himself. Whether it was the ref, the association, or whomever had to pay I don't remember, but the kids parents won.
Also in football if you come to the line of scrimmage and get set without it in it's a 15 yard penalty. No ifs ands or buts about it. In hockey you have kids without them, with them outside their cage, or cut so there is nothing left of them. Like someone said a little enforcement goes a long ways, so either enforce the rule, in fact make it a point of emphisis, or do away with it all together. The way it is now is terrible, it's not uniformly enforced, leaving kids to do whatever they choose.
As for not being able to communicate, then your mouthguard isn't fitted properly. If an NCAA quarterback can call an audible so everyone in a 100,000 seat stadium can hear and understand it I am sure you could call out to another player in a small rink with 50 people watching.
D6 is probably the most strict ( intrusive ) or sensitive to lawsuits (?)
[quote]
One of the last years I reffed there was a civil case in Michigan or Mass. where a referee was sued for not enforcing a mouthguard rule, if I remember it right he told a kid numerous times to put it in but wouldn't call him on it, then the kid gets hit and suffers a concussion so they sue the ref. The ref admits to multiple warnings but no penalty thereby condeming himself. Whether it was the ref, the association, or whomever had to pay I don't remember, but the kids parents won.
Also in football if you come to the line of scrimmage and get set without it in it's a 15 yard penalty. No ifs ands or buts about it. In hockey you have kids without them, with them outside their cage, or cut so there is nothing left of them. Like someone said a little enforcement goes a long ways, so either enforce the rule, in fact make it a point of emphisis, or do away with it all together. The way it is now is terrible, it's not uniformly enforced, leaving kids to do whatever they choose.
As for not being able to communicate, then your mouthguard isn't fitted properly. If an NCAA quarterback can call an audible so everyone in a 100,000 seat stadium can hear and understand it I am sure you could call out to another player in a small rink with 50 people watching.
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SOONTOBESIOUX
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I am a goalie and I think that mouthguards are very important. Due to the fact that last year I was checked from behind in the crease and I split my lip open, and if I didnt have it in it copuld have been worse. To my point, if a ref catches a player without a mouthguard he should be given a Penelty.
goldy 313 - I don't disagree about mouthguard's importance at all and I harp on my kid all the time to make sure it's in and not being chewed, but then the state should be consistent throughout all districts then.
It is not and that is a problem in my opinion
However;
D6 shouldn't be able to tell a goalie equipment manufacturer whose product has gone through the Canadian safety approval process (far more strict than US standards) that their product is not safe enough for use in D6. Maybe everywhere else in the world but not D6 that is my biggest gripe about their intrusion.
It is not and that is a problem in my opinion
However;
D6 shouldn't be able to tell a goalie equipment manufacturer whose product has gone through the Canadian safety approval process (far more strict than US standards) that their product is not safe enough for use in D6. Maybe everywhere else in the world but not D6 that is my biggest gripe about their intrusion.