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Hockey equipment company making face shields for medical professionals

Bauer Hockey, the manufacturer of hockey equipment and apparel for the NHL, will make protective visors for first responders after the coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of the hockey season.

“Right now, we're all on the same team. We're repurposing our facilities to make face shields so that medical professionals battling COVID-19 can safely continue to help those most vulnerable,” the company said in an Instagram post Wednesday.

"We contacted Quebec government officials to tell them about our project. We are awaiting their authorization and will be ready to launch our production as soon as we have received the green light,” Dan Bourgeois, vice president of Bauer's product innovation, told Canadian sports news site RDS.ca, Newsweek reported. “We could deliver our first visors as of next week.”

Bourgeois said a number of the 50 to 80 people normally tasked with making skates for professional players are now working from home amid the pandemic. The virus has led to at least 2,792 confirmed cases and 27 deaths in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau entered quarantine after his wife tested positive for the virus.

The company’s current model is intended for single use, he added, but he said the company is currently developing one for multiple uses. He told Newsweek the company is also prepared to offer the visors to medical professionals in the U.S., telling the magazine, "We are also deploying the same products to our manufacturing site in Liverpool, New York."

The hockey community can now showcase the support of their favorite team in a safe manner as the NHL announced today it has licensed FOCO to manufacture a product line of branded cloth face coverings for all 31 of the league's teams. The merchandise will be sold in packs of three for $24.99 on NHLShop.com.

"The health, well-being and safety of our fans and all communities across Canada, the United States and around the world, is our number one priority," said Kim Davis, NHL's executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. "We're committed to assisting in the effort to support the face covering guidelines from the CDC and Health Canada with the important benefit and outcome of helping food banks across the U.S. and Canada in their efforts to feed people in need during this unprecedented time."

"As a longtime licensee of the NHL, FOCO is proud to participate in the NHL's campaign to support the COVID-19 relief efforts of Feeding America and Food Bank Canada," said Michael Lewis, CEO of FOCO. "In addition to manufacturing the face coverings, FOCO will also be making contributions to support the two organizations' efforts."

The use of cloth face coverings is one of the ways to limit the community spread of the coronavirus, which also includes washing your hands often, social distancing and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

As the vast majority of Americans lack the experience of living through a contagion, stylizing cloth face coverings may encourage more citizens to practice the safety precautions needed to help reduce the spread of the respiratory virus.Tennessee Titans for NHL Face Masks

Hurricanes model trio of cloth face masks for annual team photo

"We know we have to do this to give us a chance," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "No one knows what's going on with this (virus), but we're being told if you wear this, it gives you a better chance to not get it or give it to other people. That's the message, plain and simple."

The players and staff were wearing three different types of masks. One had a large Hurricanes logo across the front on a split red and black background. Another had many small team logos on a black background and the third just read "CANES" with the storm flag inside the "C" in all capital letters across the front.

"I think guys are having fun with it," Hurricanes goalie James Reimer said. "Obviously you're trying to do your part. You had the Canes logos on there, and it is different. I think everyone is looking forward to a time when wearing masks won't be necessary, so you're just kind of grinding it out now and trying to make the best of it."

North Carolina governor and longtime Hurricanes fan Ray Cooper tweeted his approval of the picture and emphasized the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic.

François Legault's face mask puts Canadiens back in spotlight

Premier wears mask during COVID-19 news conference, but says there will be no parade if team miraculously wins its 25th Stanley Cup this year.

When the Quebec premier held his daily COVID-19 news conference at Place des Arts, he put on a bleu-blanc-rouge mask with the Canadiens logo on it that had been made by Longueuil company Image Folie.

Legault said the mask had been sent to him by Canadiens captain Shea Weber.

When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman decided to “pause” the NHL season on March 12 because of the coronavirus, the Canadiens had a 31-31-9 record with 11 games remaining and appeared certain to miss the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in five years. Their final regular-season game was slated for April 4 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Like many NHL players, Brent Burns is missing a few teeth. He has lost three playing hockey and a fourth he says is barely hanging on. "Many casual fans might assume all players are missing a few teeth — not true — but there is far more interest in keeping the originals than there was in the 1980s, a time Kings coach Darryl Sutter recalls seeing players writing their numbers on coffee cups, putting their teeth in the cups and setting them on a shelf before games.
"The joke was switching teeth around," Sutter said with a sly grin."

​The only way the NHL is able to prevent more tooth loss is to mandate players to use a full cage face mask. But in the NHL that isn't going to happen any time soon.

​"Dental care is one of the progressive moves made by the NHL, according to Predators general manager David Poile. When Poile was an administrative assistant for the Atlanta Flames in the early '70s, he said, he doesn't recall the team even having a dentist.
"An oral surgeon who can also do plastic surgery is ideal," added Pronger. "I had a nice set of teeth. Now, I've got new ones. And, I broke my jaw and you probably can't tell I had 50 stitches here and 27 there."

​A few tips in case a tooth gets knocked out- don't wash it in water. Put the tooth in a cup of milk or saliva, or keep it safe under your tongue. Get to your dentist ASAP! If your dentist can see you within 30 min there is a good chance the tooth can be replanted.