NHL Helmet Rule

NHL Helmet Rule Explained (The Ultimate Guide)

by

Sticks, pucks, skates, and bodies are flying around during every NHL game and this often leads to serious injuries. Hockey players need to protect all parts of their bodies at all times and this is especially true when it comes to their heads.

This is why the NHL and just about all other hockey leagues around the world now make the wearing of helmets mandatory for all players and on-ice officials.

Table of contents

Do You Have to Wear a Helmet in the NHL?

All NHL players must wear a league-approved helmet at all times while on the ice and in either the teams benches or penalty boxes.

When Did the NHL Make Helmets Mandatory?

The NHL introduced the mandatory helmet rule over 40 years ago. The league stated that any player entering the league after the date of June 1st, 1979 must wear a helmet while playing.

However, any player who had signed his first pro contract prior to that date was allowed to play without a helmet as long as they signed a waiver. The last NHL player to hit the ice without a helmet was Craig MacTavish of the St. Louis Blues in 1996/97.

The NHL made helmets mandatory for on-ice officials in 1988, but allowed officials who were already in the league before the ruling to go without a helmet if they chose. Mick McGeough was the last referee to go without a helmet until deciding to wear one in 2006/07.

What is the NHL Helmet Rule When a Helmet Falls Off?

A section of rule 9.6 of the NHL rule book was introduced in the 2019/20 campaign which states that all players must leave the ice if their helmet comes off during a game. If they don’t leave the ice surface or retrieve and place the helmet back on their head in a reasonable time they will be assessed a two-minute minor penalty.

The rule goes on to say that when a player does pick up his helmet and places it back on his head, the chin strap doesn’t have to be fastened. It also says that a player who is carrying the puck or in the vicinity of it when their helmet comes off may finish the immediate play before picking up the helmet or leaving the ice.

How Does a Helmetless Player Avoid a Penalty?

If a player loses his helmet and wants to avoid being hit with a penalty he needs to pick up the helmet and put it back on his head in a reasonable amount of time or head off the ice to the player’s bench.

Can a Player Pick Up their Helmet and Put it Back on?

Yes, a player who loses his helmet may pick it up and put it back on with or without fastening the chin strap. He must do so in a reasonable amount of time though or will be handed a minor penalty.

The player is allowed to finish the play before retrieving the helmet if he’s carrying the puck or attempting to check an opposing puck carrier etc.

What’s the Rule if a Goalies Helmet Comes off?

hockey goalie helmet rule

If a goalie loses his helmet and/or face mask during a game the play is immediately whistled dead as along as his team has possession of the puck. However, the NHL rule states that if the opposition has the puck when the netminder’s helmet comes off then the play should be allowed to continue as long as there’s no impending and immediate chance to score.

In theory, this would enable a goalie to retrieve the helmet or mask if the opposing team had the puck in the neutral zone or down the other end of the ice in their own zone. If the goalie loses his helmet and the opponents have an immediate scoring chance, the play is whistled dead for the goaltender’s safety.

Nobody wants to see a goaltender have to face a shot without wearing a helmet or facemask. If a goalie removes the helmet or face mask on purpose as a tactic to gain a whistle, he will be assessed a minor penalty for delaying the game.

In addition, if a goalie removes the helmet or mask while an opponent has a breakaway, is in the process of taking a penalty shot or an overtime shootout attempt, an automatic goal will be awarded to the opposing team.

What Happens if the Helmet Strap is Undone?

During regular play, all NHL players must have their chin straps fastened at all times as this helps keep the helmet on their head. When a player’s helmet comes off during the play though, he is allowed to pick it up and put it back on with the chin strap either fastened or unfastened.

The main thing here is that the helmet is back on his head. If a player loses his helmet and heads to the bench to be replaced by a teammate, he isn’t allowed back on the ice unless his helmet is in place and the chin strap is fastened.

If a player leaves the penalty box without a helmet or without a fastened chin strap, a minor penalty will be given.

Are Helmets Mandatory for NHL Warmups?

The NHL recently instituted a rule which makes it mandatory for players to wear a helmet during their pre-game warmups as a safety measure. This rule applies to all players who joined the league after the 2019/20 season.

Those who were in the league before then may still take pre-game warmups without wearing a helmet if they choose but some teams make it mandatory for their players to don a helmet in warmups.

This rule is similar to the league’s mandatory visor rule which was introduced in 2013/14 as it is also being grandfathered in, which means eventually all players will have to abide by it.

If you do not wear a helmet during the warm-up you and/or your team will have to pay a fine due to breaking rule 9.6 of the NHL rulebook.

Connor Bedard broke this rule in his NHL debut and was fined $2,500 by the league.

What Happens When a Player Pulls off Another Player’s Helmet?

According to rule 51 of the NHL rule book, if a player intentionally pulls off an opponent’s helmet at any time during a game he will be given a minor penalty for roughing. Players may sometimes try to dislodge an opponent’s helmet during a fight and this is supposed to result in a minor penalty but referees sometimes let it slide.

Can Players Remove their Helmets for a Fight?

Rule 46.6 of the NHL rule book covers helmets and fighting and states that a player isn’t allowed to take his helmet off before engaging in a fight. If a player does remove his helmet before the fisticuffs begin he will be nailed with a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

However, the rule says that if a player’s helmet comes off during an altercation then no penalty will be given out. Unfortunately, the rule doesn’t really clarify if a player can take his own helmet off during the fight, it only deals with taking a helmet off before the battle. You will sometimes still see players taking their helmets off before or during a fight as they simply don’t mind taking a minor penalty for doing so.

There was a loophole in this rule when it was first introduced as the combatants would take each other’s helmets off rather than their own. The NHL then solved this by adding rule 51 which forbids a player from pulling off an opponent’s helmet.

Do Players Need to Wear a Visor on their Helmets?

The NHL introduced a mandatory visor rule in 2013/14 which is represented by rule 9.7 of the league’s rule book. It states that all players who have played fewer than 25 games in the league must have an approved visor attached to their helmet at all times.

For more information on visors please read our full NHL Visor Rule post here.

Why is the NHL Helmet Rule Important?

The helmet rule is important as it relates to player safety. Concussions are quite common in the sport and serious injury or death can occur if a player is struck in the head or hits his head on the boards or ice. On January 13th, 1967 Bill Masterton of the Minnesota North Stars struck his head on the ice while playing without a helmet in a game against the Oakland Seals.

He was hospitalized with a severe head injury and passed away at the age of 29 approximately 30 hours later when he was taken off of life support. The NHL has an award named the Bill Masterton Trophy which is given each year to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to the game. The trophy often goes to a player who has recovered from a life-threatening or serious injury or illness.

Also, 21-year-old Don Sanderson, a Senior AAA hockey league player with the Whitby Dunlops in Ontario, Canada lost his life in January, 2009 after striking his unprotected head against the ice during a fight and going into a coma.

NHL Helmet FAQs

Can NHL Players Wear a Cage?

NHL rules currently state that all players other than goaltenders must wear a visor at all times rather than a wire cage. Many other leagues allow cages though and the NHL allows players to to wear a combination visor/cage or a cage if they’re currently recovering from or suffering from a facial injury. These are often the plastic full-face visor known as the fishbowl.

What’s the NHL Helmet Grandfather Rule?

The Grandfather clause regarding helmets in the league came in effect in 1979. It basically allowed players who were in the league before that time to play without a helmet if they chose as long as they signed a waiver. The rule meant that all players entering the NHL from that time on would have to wear a helmet until eventually all players would be wearing one.

What Happens if Your Helmet Breaks?

If an NHL player’s helmet breaks during the action there’s no rule which states he must leave the ice as long as he’s wearing a helmet with the chin strap fastened. If a player cracks or breaks a helmet he will typically have it replaced when he gets to the bench.

Are NHL Helmets Approved by the League?

The NHL rule states that all players need to wear a helmet of material, construction and design which has been approved by the league. Helmets worn by NHL players must be certified by the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials).

You can read our related posts on other NHL gear: 

Final Thoughts

It’s believed that George Owen of the Boston Bruins was the first NHL player to regularly wear a helmet back in 1928/29. Helmets then became a little more popular after the 1933 on-ice incident involving Ace Bailey of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins which almost resulted in Bailey’s death after his head violently struck the ice.

But the NHL didn’t make helmets mandatory until 11 years after Bill Masterton passed away after injuring his head during a game. It’s hard to believe and also thankful that players went decades without wearing helmets and there weren’t more serious injuries.

With the speed of the game today and considering the hardness of the puck, the razor-sharp skates, carbon sticks and equipment, and the crushing body checks, no hockey player should ever step on the ice without wearing a helmet.

Leave a Comment