from Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star,

“(Goaltenders) play the safest position in the sport,” Wendel Clark, the Maple Leafs legend, was saying the other day, espousing a widely held opinion.

Maybe that’s true, although as TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported a few months back, 13 NHL goaltenders sustained 15 diagnosed concussions last season, as many as in the previous three seasons combined. And there’s enough concern about the issue that the league has contracted an engineering firm to undertake further testing on goalie masks in a fact-finding mission bent on improving their protective qualities.

“Players’ skill level has never been better. The technology for them to shoot and score has never been better. You’ve got to make sure the masks (keep up),” said Kay Whitmore, the NHL vice-president of hockey operations and goaltender equipment. “We’re not sure what we’re going to find with the testing, but hopefully we can find something that can help us improve. Can we improve the liners of the helmets? Can we improve the shells? Can we improve? Certainly we’re committed to making the goaltenders as safe as they possibly can be.”

Of course, when it was explained to Andersen that Whitmore and the league are investigating possible “improvements” to goalie masks, the Maple Leafs No. 1 raised a skeptical eye.

“Do they want to make (masks) smaller, too?” (Frederik) Andersen said.

more