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NHL sends harsh reminder to Red Wings regarding rule violations
Photo credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The Detroit Red Wings have received a stern reminder from the NHL and Gary Bettman regarding rule violations.
The NHL has sent a warning to the Detroit Red Wings and other teams in the league that helmets are mandatory during warmups.
There's been an uptick in rebellious players who have gone without their helmets in warmups, and some recent violators were the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks.
New violators were the New Jersey Devils, who took to the ice for warmups wearing hats to commemorate defenseman Brendan Dillon's 1,000th game in the NHL. The team would later lose 5-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The NHL sends a stern reminder to the Detroit Red Wings about mandatory helmets worn during warmups
NHL: Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly sent a stern message regarding the NHL's rule enforcer of Rule no. 9.6 in the official rulebook.
"It is mandatory for all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later to wear their helmet during pre-game warm-up," the subsection reads. "To be clear, all players who entered the League prior to the 2019-2020 season and who are currently playing are exempt from this mandate."
Teams have tried their best to find workarounds to skirt the rule by leaving their helmets in locker rooms, and the reasoning is understandable.
"Just to have a little bit of fun," San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said, per The Athletic's Eric Stephens and Jesse Granger. "It's a fun city. Everyone wants to have a good time. Maybe play with a little bit of swagger. Everybody feels good with the hair flowing and all of that. I thought it was fun. Maybe we'll do it again, who knows?"
Regardless, rookies like Macklin Celebrini and other players who weren't in the league before 2019-20 will not be able to escape this.
It seems silly to have an inconsistent rule; instead of creating two tiers, make it uniform and be done with it?
In the meantime, when will Gary Bettman retire from the NHL? It doesn't seem soon enough. The NHL commissioner teased an exit date recently, but he hasn't provided anything official yet.
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