-- [ From: Kepler * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
 
> Players in the pro ranks were DEFINITELY more careful not to get the
sticks up
> before helmets came around...it was a legitimate unwritten rule that you
didn't
> mess with a mans livelihood.
 
There were examples galore of headhunting in the pro's back in pre-helmet
days.  Gordie Howe and others speak of how an opponent is a man "trying to
take food off my kids' table," and against whom any means were justified.
It was practically a matter of routine to endanger a career or even a life
in order to "gain an edge,"  in a game, or even in camp fighting for a
roster spot.
 
Yeah, I'm sure they all felt real bad about it afterwards, and probably
chipped in for a nice wreath for the bereaved, but on the ice, all not
having a helmet did was make serious injury more likely.  The players'
comments and the medical record indicate that the only restraints on
behavior were the refs, the opponents' goons, and the penal system.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
--
 
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
*  Greg Berge
*  Portland, Oregon
*  [log in to unmask]
*  www.spiritone.com/~kepler
*
 
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