THE SIDELINES : No Neon Hockey Gear, NHL Says

The NHL will ban bright-colored equipment because it is not in the image which the league wants to portray, President John Ziegler said.

Gerry Meehan, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, said Monday that several players used neon sticks last season and there were complaints “they would be a serious distraction during games.”

“Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important things a player can have and that brightness might improve someone’s already great hand-eye coordination,” Meehan said.

If a player is found with an illegal stick, he will be asked to remove it from the game. Refusal will result in a penalty for illegal equipment.

Ziegler said governors feel that a strength of hockey is its tradition and “the stick is the one thing that has not changed that much” over the years.