The Chris Pronger injury has sparked debate regarding the usage of visors in the NHL and whether they should be required for all players to wear. Pronger was hit in the eye on a follow-through from Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski's shot on goal. He immediately feared the worse, a stick to the eye could be a career ending injury. The injury has caused many to entered the discussion on if the Players Union should mandate that everyone wear visors in the future.
Flyers GM Paul Holmgren spoke with Philly.com about this situation with the star defenseman. Holmgren was adamant about Chris Pronger's return saying, "When Chris comes back, he'll be wearing a visor. We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League. To me, it's not an issue - players should wear them. Obviously, some of these guys have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don't want to wear one.
He added, "I think the improvements with the visor over the last number of years, compared to what it was 10 or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat on there sometimes, or maybe a little water, I don't think the visor is a big issue."
For Chris, the issue may be a matter of pride. He's viewed as the unfaltering icon in Philly, the player who plays with an unrivaled confidence. His return could see him play with fear, knowing that he dodged a career ending bullet.