Calgary Coaches Now Have to Wear Helmets

Hockey coaches in the Calgary minor hockey system now must wear helmets any time they are on the ice, or  face suspension.

Minor hockey coaches in Calgary now have to wear helmets on the ice during practices after a coach slipped and suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Goalie coach Troy Williams fell while skating backwards last winter at his son’s hockey practice.

“He was clearing pucks from behind the net and he was skating backwards and just the way he shot the puck, he just went straight back,” recalled his wife Tracy on Tuesday.

Troy Williams fractured his skull and suffered a brain hemorrhage, a potentially fatal injury. He recovered, but still suffers headaches.

His wife lobbied Hockey Calgary for a safety rule that states everyone on the ice at a practice, including coaches, trainers and volunteers, must wear a helmet.

The rule came into effect on Monday.

While any fool could see this coming, I think its just another attempt to legislate safety. Accidents are a fact of life, and we can’t keep making new rules until everyone is swathed in  bubble wrap. Any lawyers out there, what do you think?