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More than a decade has passed since the NHL instituted a rule change that essentially mandates players play with a visor going forward, yet there are still a few veterans who play without one.
Nashville Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly and Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn headline the few remaining visor-less players, and while it may come with risks, these veterans remain committed to their decision.
"Every time I get a little stick or anything, even a little scrape, they're always looking at me,'" O'Reilly told the Canadian Press. "But hockey players are creatures of habit. It's just something I've been so used to."
Ahead of the 2013-14 season, the NHL implemented a rule change that stated any player with fewer than 25 games of experience "must wear a visor properly affixed to their helmet." A few players with enough experience opted against wearing one, but the number is getting smaller and smaller.
Only five visor-less NHL players remained at the start of the season: O'Reilly, Benn, Minnesota Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves and New York Islanders forward Matt Martin. Reaves was recently waived and sent down to the AHL, and Martin hasn't played in almost two months. All five players are 33 or older.
In the not-too-distant future, there could be no visor-less players remaining.
"My mom is always telling me to put it on," Benn said. "But I'm not gonna change my ways."
The reason for each player's decision is entirely up to them. Benn, who won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer in 2014-15, said he didn't remember why he made the decision. On the other hand, Reaves recalled a story from his first NHL game with the St. Louis Blues all the way back in 2010.
"I had a visor going out for warm-ups," Reaves said in an interview earlier this season. "David Backes and Cam Janssen said, 'If you want to be a tough guy in this league, you can't wear a visor.' They ripped it off my helmet and I never put it back on.
"I've taken a few sticks by the eye. My mom, all the time, wants me to put one on."
Similar to Benn, O'Reilly can't recall an exact reason for the decision, but there may have been one beneath the surface.
"Maybe it helped me look a little tougher than I actually am," O'Reilly said. "Maybe I felt I had a little more grit to my game taking it off."
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