In 1996, Michael Farber wrote an in-depth article for Sports Illustrated on how, largely out of vanity, an alarming number of NHL players were wearing flimsy helmets that put them at risk of severe injury.
To read the SI article, visit:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1009320/index.htm.
Now 13 years later, as the mirror test is still a key influencer today, we asked Mark Messier about the parallels he sees between the game of hockey then and now, both from a player’s perspective and now, as the leader of The Messier Project.
Here is Mark’s reply:
“One of the biggest challenges we face not only with The Messier Project but also the M11 helmet is convincing the players that protection is performance. As a former player that played for 26 years professionally, I feel I have a very good perspective of the players’ psyche in regards to protecting themselves. In a game where we measure our players in terms of their bravado and courage, no player wants to give the impression that they are worried about safety or injury. This attitude can be traced back long before I started playing hockey. It seems strange to me that we as players continue to adopt this attitude with the number of head injuries that have crept into our sport. Every other part of our game has evolved — the rules, the arenas, the athletes, the equipment — but for some reason we have neglected the most important piece of equipment, the helmet.
It is incredible to think that Michael Farber wrote this article almost 15 years ago over his concern with the helmets the players were wearing and how they were wearing them. One of the most frustrating things I see and hear about with the players, especially players who have had a history of concussions, is their concern with the way they look in any particular helmet. This is very troubling and confusing, with what is at stake, not only in terms of their careers but also for their own health and well-being, and beyond that, the message they are conveying as our game’s greatest role models. This kind of attitude only makes my own resolve that much stronger to continue to educate hockey players around the world, young and old, about the responsibility they have not only to protect themselves, but to send a strong message to our youth as well. This is the mission of The Messier Project, and we will continue the process until we have changed priorities within our sport and all our players are making decisions regarding their helmets based on the highest indicator of performance — and that is protection.
On a positive note, I am encouraged by our progress to date. From the support of our players, GM’s and equipment managers at the NHL level to the overwhelming response at the amateur level, I believe that everyone is paying attention. And the public is paying attention too. To all the visitors to The Captain’s Blog, and all those who have emailed Cascade Sports directly, I’d like to say thank you for your comments and for your support of The Messier Project.
– Mark Messier”
