helmets became mandatory in the nhl in august 1979.
when did helmets become mandatory in the nhl?
august 1979
in august 1979, the then-president of the national hockey league (nhl), john ziegler, announced that protective helmets would become mandatory for incoming players in the nhl. "the introduction of the helmet rule will be an additional safety factor," he said. the rule allowed players who signed professional contracts prior to june 1, 1979 who were already not wearing helmets to continue to do so for the rest of their careers provided a liability waiver was signed, if they so desired. the last player to play without a helmet was craig mactavish, who played his final game during the 1996–97 season for the st. louis blues. the last referee to not wear a helmet was mick mcgeough, who began wearing a helmet in the 2006–07 season and retired after the following season.
hockey helmet
ziegler, along with alan eagleson, announced on august 6, 1979 that protective helmets would become mandatory in the nhl. the new rule had a grandfather clause that granted players who had signed pro contracts prior to june 1, 1979 the option of wearing helmets or not. those who chose not to wear one signed liability waivers.





























section::::president of the national hockey league.:nhl–wha merger.
john ziegler jr.