McInnis Puts On Protective Visor

After a trip to the eye doctor and a visit to the equipment room to add a protective visor to his helmet, right wing Marty McInnis joined the Ducks for Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

McInnis, tied for the team lead with eight goals going into the game, was struck by an errant puck in the left eye during Tuesday’s practice. But he was pronounced fit to play Wednesday afternoon. He played on a line with center Matt Cullen and left wing Mike Leclerc, his customary linemates, but not before he had a conversation with Coach Craig Hartsburg.

Hartsburg said he asked McInnis why he hasn’t donned a visor before now. According to Hartsburg, McInnis said a visor “looks funny.”

Replied Hartsburg: “It’s better to see than to look funny.”

Hartsburg, a defenseman in the 1980s for the Minnesota North Stars, also told reporters: “If I started my career over again, I would wear a visor. They all should wear them, even the tough guys. . . . Every game, somebody seems to get cut close to the eyes. . . . I don’t know why kids coming out of college and junior take them off.”

When Hartsburg was in the league, the game was played without the stick work that is present today. Hits from behind were rare, as were blows to the head. All of which makes it more necessary for players to wear the best available protective gear, he said.

The Duck coach added: “There’s a lot more contact in the game now than there ever was. It results in sticks being raised higher. . . . The best players in the league wear visors. It doesn’t make sense to me [not to wear a visor]. I hate losing players if [an injury] can be prevented. I would encourage anyone to wear them.”

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Defenseman Pavel Trnka played his first game since suffering a sprained right ankle Oct. 8 against the St. Louis Blues. He formed a pairing with the hard-hitting Vitaly Vishnevski on Wednesday against Colorado.

“That guy is crazy,” Trnka said of Vishnevski, who went into the game with a league-leading 72 hits. “He hits like a train.”

Trnka, sidelined for 16 games, had this to say about the Ducks’ defensive woes: “If you say it’s just unlucky bounces that wouldn’t be right. We’ve struggled down low [near their net]. That’s what we need to do better.”