"Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL is warning teams against taking warmups without helmets, a growing trend this season that violates NHL rules. Daly told ESPN that the league is sending out a memo to remind teams that helmets are mandatory in warmups for "all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later," per Rule 9.6."
"The Ottawa Senators skated out for warmups without helmets in a game at the Vegas Golden Knights last Wednesday, having lost in their last six trips to T-Mobile Arena. Forward Shane Pinto told TSN that the players decided at a team dinner to change their Vegas luck by doffing their helmets. "It was pretty cool to do," he said. The Senators won the game 4-3 in a shootout."
The NHL warned teams against skating in pre-game warmups without helmets and is sending a memo to reinforce Rule 9.6. Rule 9.6 mandates helmets for all players who entered the NHL in the 2019-2020 season or later, while players who entered before that season remain exempt. Multiple teams, including the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, recently skated without helmets in Vegas, with the Senators attributing the choice to a team decision and then winning their game. The league amended the rule in 2022 to address player safety, particularly for rookies, and grandfathered some veteran exemptions.
Read at ESPN.com
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