Safety netting in the NHL....Where do you stand?

[John Corn]

Safety netting has been installed in all 30 NHL arenas, a response to the tragic death last season of 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil, who was struck by a puck while attending a Columbus Blue Jackets' game at Nationwide Arena.

Reaction to the netting was not favorable during the preseason, with many fans complaining it obscured their sightlines.

"This netting, I believe, is something that you will adjust to," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "If you are a fan and you sit there fixated on the fact that you don't like the netting and you stare at the netting, it will be harder to adjust. If you sit back and relax and watch the game, within a minute you won't even know it's there."

Even some of the networks that televise hockey games have complained about the netting. But Bettman made clear it's here to stay.

"I remain certain that this was the right thing to do. Actually, it was the only thing to do, and we're going to continue to make sure that our clubs and our arenas get it right," he said.

[James_F]

Phoenix had safety netting on one goal because the seats overhand the ice (don't ask). Its not bad, but I did have to get used to it the first time I saw it. We've had it in Phoenix for at least 4 years and I never hear anyone complaining about it anymore. Its something that should have been done years ago.

[Unthinkable]

I posted a thread on this in the Bruins newsgroup awhile back over here:

http://tinylink.com/?H9RmA39zb6

Longtimebeezfan followed it up later with his thoughts here:

http://tinylink.com/?cFiWBquNmc

and here:

http://tinylink.com/?gtGyXyx1Ac

[Unthinkable]

More upset ticket holders in Long Island:

http://tinylink.com/?WSIKLZZXzS

[John Corn]

I feel for Brittanie Cecil's family, but this is something that happened only once in 80 years! To put up netting in NHL stadiums just doesn't seem right to me. Foul balls in baseball are just as bad if not worse then pucks going into the crowd. I understand that tragedies like this could happen...but thats not going to keep me away from going to games.

[Kevin]

The safety nets should be put up. I can't forget the time a stray puck was rocketed into an empty seat just a few rows away from me when I was at a Devils game. If that puck was just a few more rows up, it could have nailed me because I wasn't paying attention to the game during that split second. Even if deaths like this happen once every few decades, the precaution should be taken so it doesn't ruin someone else's life in the future because there's no guarantee that it won't happen again!

[James_F]

How does a safety net take away from a baseball game? These people need to grow up!

[Ryan]

It's also a liability issue. Even thought he ticket says blah, blah, blah, leaves the ice, blah, blah, blah, you know somebody's going to sue. Especially after someone else died, and doubly especially if the league and the franchises have done nothing additional to look like they're protecting the fan.

They basically have to do it, not to protect the fans from the game, but to protect the game from the fans.

I've been attending indoor lacrosse games for more than ten years, and they've always had nets at the ends. BUt there you've got guys throwing a hard rubber ball around 100 miles per hour, up at a head high level. Even with high boards at the end, you know that ball is leaving the playing area more than just a couple times a game.

[newflyer7]

i sat in section 320 at msg saturday night for rangers predator game. behind the netting. after about 5 minutes i didn`t even realize the netting was there. i did not distract me at all. it was like sitting behind the screen at a baseball game.