How To Buy a Hockey Helmet

A hockey helmet is without a doubt the most important piece of safety equipment in the game. Many of the major hockey manufacturers produce their own design and style of helmets which are (and must be) certified by the HECC – Hockey Equipment Certification Council – if your hockey helmet has one of these stickers then you know that it’s up to the job. Some of them are, however, more up to the job than others. Here are a few things to bear in mind when you buy a new hockey helmet.

How To Buy a Hockey Helmet

Lifespan – you might be surprised to hear that many of the hockey helmet manufacturers advise you to replace your helmet every season. This is due to the foam compressing naturally after a lot of use and once it’s compressed it is not as efficient at saving your skull. If the plastic shell on your helmet is cracked you must replace it immediately, or if the padding comes away from the outer shell, although it can sometimes be satisfactorily glued back into place, if it keeps moving about it’s not up to the job any more and needs to be replaced.

Earpieces – hockey helmets are supplied with plastic earpieces, and although they can be removed by turning a few simple screws to make your helmet a little more comfortable, they come with earpieces for a reason – the best reason of all, safety.  Don’t remove the earpieces, you might need them.

Visors and Cages – a wild high stick or errant puck can cause serious damage to your face, which is why hockey helmets have visors and/or cages fitted. At higher levels some hockey players choose to play without a visor (they say they get better peripheral vision)  but in the lower ranks you really do need both, amateur players don’t have the same amount of stick or puck control for a start. Be safe and watch out for low flying pucks.

Chinstraps – should be kept tight at all times, well, not so tight that you can’t breathe or speak but certainly tight enough so that your helmet doesn’t part company with your head when it’s needed most. Your helmet won’t do a very good job if it hits the floor a couple of seconds before your head does will it?  It really needs to be buttoned and properly tightened against the chin. Some leagues will give you a penalty if you don’t comply with this, and quite rightly so, safety does have to be the first priority for all concerned.

Fitting – put the helmet onto your head opened to its largest size, and then gradually downsize it to fit to your head, making it snug and comfortable. The helmet needs to rest on the top of your head, and there should be one fingers width between the helmet and the top of your eyebrows. Make sure it’s comfortable for you, and if it doesn’t feel comfortable try a different brand until you find one that does.

You can buy hockey helmets at many of the major sports stores, and as long as you make sure that it has the correct certification (HECC remember) and fits properly it will be able to protect you. Some helmets are naturally more expensive than others, although this does not necessarily mean that it will afford more protection, although it will maybe be a little more comfortable. The most important thing is that the helmet fits securely to your head, doesn’t wiggle around on its own but not so tight that it gives you a headache, and that it is fastened tightly so that it doesn’t fall off when it’s needed most.