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Before your kids hit the ice for the wonderful winter sport of hockey, it's wise to brush up on a few safety tips. Every year, many kids and adults are injured during hockey games and practices. There are many reasons for this happening, and no doubt some of those reasons are due to inadequate safety measures. Many injuries can be prevented with proper planning, knowledge, and involvement of parents in what their children are doing. Just remember that you'll never be able to remove all risk of injury from hockey; it is a rough sport after all. But there is no reason not to make every effort to ensure better safety principles on the ice. This article offers practical safety advice to ensure your hockey season is as safe as it can be.

One of the most important pieces of safety equipment you have is your helmet.

Clearly, sustaining an injury to the head can lead to all sorts of highly complicated issues and can even be fatal. Wearing a helmet by NHL players became obligatory as a result of the fatal head injury sustained by a pro hockey player. He fell over backwards and the impact of his head on the ice led to his demise. Therefore, when purchasing a helmet, you must ensure that it is certified by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council or the HECC. You need to make sure your helmet also has a protective mask welded on to it as this is a requirement. You need to ensure that the strap is always fastened during play and that it fits properly.

It is critical that all your hockey safety equipment is the proper fit. Properly fitting equipment, like a helmet, can reduce the chances of serious injury. If the fit isn't adequate, then your safety gear won't be able to defend you or do the job it was designed to do. You will basically be compromising your own safety and putting yourself in danger. The helmet, for example, should never be too loose when you wear it. You can still sustain some serious injuries if you fall and bang your head, which is not all that unusual in hockey. You also want to make sure all your pads fit well so they won't have a tendency to move during game play.

One piece of hockey safety gear that isn't used often enough is the protective visor. However, you will see some pro hockey players who wear them, which is the intelligent approach. The hard plastic visor is designed to protect your eyes and face from getting hurt. You can end up with serious injuries if you get hit by a flying hockey stick blade or a puck, and that isn't as rare as you might think. Nothing can protect you 100%. However, wearing it and wearing it properly can seriously reduce the chances of injury. Gathering as many facts about hockey safety tips as you can will help prevent many injuries.