Safety rules are no longer optional — and some NHL teams just got called out for forgetting that. The league is cracking down on a growing trend: players skating without helmets during pregame warmups, a move that blatantly breaks official safety regulations. But as it turns out, not everyone is taking the rule seriously.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to ESPN that the NHL is sending an official memo to every team. The reminder? Helmets are not optional during warmups for any player who entered the league in or after the 2019–2020 season, under Rule 9.6. Despite that, several teams have recently tested the limits — and sparked a debate over whether these rules kill the fun or save lives.
Take the Ottawa Senators, for example. Last Wednesday in Las Vegas, the team ditched their helmets during warmups before facing the Vegas Golden Knights. Their reasoning? Pure superstition. After six straight losses at T-Mobile Arena, the players decided over dinner to switch things up — literally. Forward Shane Pinto told TSN that the idea was a team effort meant to change their “Vegas luck.” It worked, at least temporarily: Ottawa went on to win 4–3 in a shootout.
The San Jose Sharks tried the same stunt a few days later in Vegas, hoping to break their own losing streak against the Knights. Unfortunately, their gamble didn’t pay off — they lost by the same 4–3 scoreline. Rookie forward Will Smith described it casually: “It was a team choice. Saturday night in Vegas — everyone was down to do it.” But here’s where it gets controversial: was it team bonding, or just reckless disregard for a rule designed to protect them?
The New Jersey Devils took a different spin on the rule entirely. To celebrate defenseman Brenden Dillon’s 1,000th NHL game, the team hit the ice during warmups not helmetless — but wearing hats. A clever tribute, maybe, but one that again skirts the line of league policy.
For context, Rule 9.6 couldn’t be clearer: any player entering the NHL from the 2019–2020 season onward is required to wear a helmet during warmups. Those who joined earlier are exempt — a nod to veteran players as part of a “grandfather clause,” similar to how visor rules were introduced years ago.
The NHL amended this rule in 2022 following growing concern over safety, especially for rookies who customarily skipped helmets before their first games — an old-school tradition meant to mark the start of their NHL career. But times have changed. The league now sees those moments as unnecessary risks in an already dangerous sport.
And this is the part most fans miss: What looks like harmless nostalgia to some could become a serious liability for the league if a player gets hurt. Still, many argue that traditions and superstitions are part of hockey’s identity — so should the NHL really be policing that?
Do you think the league is right to enforce helmet rules this strictly, or should players be allowed a little leeway for superstition and team bonding? Share your thoughts — is this safety push smart, or another example of the NHL getting too controlling?
