St. Louis on the ice with a visor

In what has to be one of the most fortunate moments of the season, right wing Marty St. Louis was cut on his nose and forehead by a skate during Saturday's loss to the Senators. Just a bit more to either side and we're talking about perhaps the skate from a stumbling lineman hitting an eye.

More later, but St. Louis is on the ice during Monday's practice. A nice bit of needlework on his face protected by a visor. Would a visor have protected him Saturday? Not sure as the heel of the skate hit St. Louis, which came up on an angle from below.

Either way, St. Louis is one lucky dude. And he's a hockey player, so he's ready to play.

Comments

[hyjyljyj]

First it was a requirement for goalie masks. Now, it's been 30 years since the NHL last got serious about protecting players, making helmets mandatory. Where does the time go? I still remember the hue and cry from legions of dissenters about the ruination of the tradition of our great sport, yada yada. Even Bryan Berard's sacrifice didn't do it. I think it will take a whole, disembodied eyeball with a good length of attached optic nerve, lying on the ice in a pool of blood, twitching and jerking--supermagnified on the jumbotron and on the front pages--before the league will make even VISORS mandatory. Then, in the misty future yet to be dreamed, full shields will come into play after somebody's severed mandible hopping around on the ice among eight or nine teeth tells the league to wake up. (As for "not being able to see the puck"...goaltenders, college players, players in other pro leagues, high schoolers, juniors, and ME being able to see it through the cage just fine render that argument hogwash, balderdash, poppycock, horsefeathers, bullspit, nonsense and piffle. Owners want fans to be able to see the players' faces. The real argument against face protection is about tradition, machismo and marketabililty of players' facial images in action. You know...important stuff.)

Gotta have vivisection and dismemberment to improve protective headgear in this league. Yet Buttman has no problem with (a) the instigator rule, (b) calling a foul for TOUCHING a guy with your hand, and (c) shootouts. Now THAT'S protecting traditional hockey.

Glad to have you still in action, Marty, thank God you didn't get an eyeball sliced open by that stumbling linesman. Now be a team leader, wear your visor, get used to it already, and never take it off. How many times do you need to be sliced open between the eyes before you get the hint?

Sometimes with these guys I think it's either a God complex, or one too many blows to the head

[Mike13]

Obviously I was not alone when my heart skipped a beat on that play - which was quickly followed by a real sense of anger.

[Danger]

Great to hear Marty is OK, a serious eye injury to one of our heart and soul guys would have been another black cloud over this tropical storm of a season so far. There's no way to force players to wear a visor, but watch the video of Marty taking a skate to the face, and maybe some more players will don the eye savers.

[Oscar]

Heal well Capt---oops---Marty.

If I were a St. Pete Times staffer, I'd blast "Another short-handed goal!!" in bold letters each time #26 pots one on the PK.

Glad he's on our side...

Go Bolts!

[Ray]

Glad he's okay, looked scary when it happened.

Get well Marty!