The Devils had a nice moment in warmups on Monday, honoring Brenden Dillon by ditching their helmets for hats that read “1,000 Dilly” to honor the defenseman’s 1,000th game.
Here’s the downside: They may have violated a league rule in doing so.
The league added a requirement in 2023-24 which mandated helmets in warmups. The change applies to anyone joining the league in 2019-20 or later. It is part of the official rulebook.
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Rule 9.6 of the NHL rulebook states that it is “mandatory for all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later to wear their helmet during pre-game warm-up.
“To be clear, all players who entered the League prior to the 2019-2020 season and who are currently playing are exempt from this mandate.”
The Devils have six players — Dawson Mercer, Paul Cotter, Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec — who made their debuts during or after the 2019-20 season.
NJ Advance Media reached out to the NHL for comment.
We’re told the Devils have not heard from the league at the time of publication.
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A similar incident occurred during the Senators vs. Sharks game this week, causing the league to reportedly “act” after some players violated helmet rule in warmups.
The “act”? Essentially a stern warning.
“We intend to send a reminder to Clubs regarding our collectively bargained rule requiring helmet use during warm-up,” Daly wrote in an email to Bay Area News Group. “I don’t anticipate that San Jose will be singled out or disciplined.”
The Devils are currently in a physical tilt with the Blue Jackets at Prudential Center. The game — which has featured a bevy of fights and big checks — is tied 2-2 entering the third period.