CALGARY – Whether a helmet would have protected Brad Gushue when he crashed face-first on the curling ice is debatable.

But the sight of one of the world’s best curlers sporting a swollen right eye and stitches after a fall brings to a boil what was the simmering issue of whether protective headgear should be mandatory in the sport, and at what age.

Gushue put his arms out to stop his dive in Saturday’s quarter-final of The Masters in Truro, N.S., but not fast enough to protect his face. The skip from St. John’s, N.L., returned to the rink and finished out that game after getting stitches at a nearby hospital.

This happened at a time when some curling clubs require junior curlers to wear helmets, senior curlers are voluntarily donning head protection and Curling Canada is developing head-protection recommendations as part of a concussion strategy.

Equipment manufacturers now produce stylish curling tuques and hats with protective padding in them. An early alternative to the helmet was a cushioned, donut-shaped “halo” worn around the head.

But don’t expect to see helmets or head protection at the national men’s or women’s curling championships in the near future.

Not only would there would be resistance from teams at the Tim Hortons Brier and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but the viewing public wouldn’t like it.

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