The Full Face Mask Debate: Looking at penalties from last season to this season

There has been a lot of debate about the reasoning and then the subsequent impact of BC Hockey making full face masks mandatory for Junior B hockey.

The cited reason behind the change was for player safety and lowering insurance costs.

At the end of the December 18th game between the Kimberley Dynamiters and Fernie Ghostriders, head coach and general manager Derek Stuart had this to say: "There was probably 10-15 head shots tonight between both teams. Each team had a spearing penalty and there were numerous questionable hits into the boards. And it’s happening almost every game.

"This is a direct result of BC Hockey’s mandatory face-mask ruling. To them saving a few teeth, a few dollars and preventing the occasional facial laceration is far more important than protecting players heads, necks and spines.

"Their uneducated decision has put hundreds of young men in a very dangerous environment."

Now, I trust what Stuart says, but do the numbers back him up, or is this just a clash of the past, present, and future of hockey.

So here's what I did. I went through the first 30 games of the 2017-18 season, and the first 30 games of the 2018-19 season. I then counted each two minute stick infraction, four minute stick infraction, spearing, elbowing, head contact, boarding, checking from behind, and fighting penalty called.

Here's what the totals show:

• In 2017
• 2 min: 182
• 4 min: 2
• Spearing: 4
• Elbowing: 7
• Head contact: 10
• Boarding: 7
• Checks from behind: 7
• Fights: 24
• In 2018 (get ready for this)
• 2 min: 177
• 4 min: 4
• Spearing: 5
• Elbowing: 10
• Head contact: 24
• Boarding: 24
• Checks from behind: 4
• Fighting: 5

Did you see that? The over 200-300% increase in head contact and boarding calls this season?

By game nine this year there were as many boarding penalties called as last season.

By 11 games this season there were as many head contact penalties as last year.

There were 16 games last year that didn't have a head contact OR boarding penalty called. This year, five.

Sure sounds like the goal have player safety has been met (sarcasm).

Of course there are conspiracy theories, and potentially valid ones, as to the true reason BC Hockey mandated full cages.

But when Stuart says: "To them saving a few teeth, a few dollars and preventing the occasional facial laceration is far more important than protecting players heads, necks and spines."

I have to agree with him.