from Stephen Whyno of the CP at the Toronto Sun,

The gruesome sight of Dan Hamhuis on the ice with his legs flailing made fellow NHL players cringe. A shot like the one that cracked the Vancouver Canucks defenceman in the face could happen to anyone.

Hamhuis is out two months after surgery to repair facial fractures. Even though he wears a visor like a vast majority of the league now, it couldn't save him when a slap shot from the New York Rangers' Dan Boyle hit him squarely in the jaw from close range.

Only a full-face shield or cage could have prevented that injury. The league and Players' Association only two years ago mandated visors for incoming players, but there could be a day in the distant future when full facial protection like in youth, college and women's hockey, is commonplace in the NHL.

"It's probably the next step," San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said.

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