SAN JOSE – It was an unusual sight to see every San Jose Sharks player eschew helmets during warm-ups before their game against the Vegas Golden Knights over the weekend.
After all, NHL rule 9.6 mandates that players who entered the league beginning with the 2019-2020 season or later must wear their helmet during pre-game warm-up. The Sharks right now have over a dozen players who fit that description.
Still, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, the Sharks will be avoiding any supplemental discipline from the NHL for going “no bucket” in warm-ups on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“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 rule requiring players who entered the league during or after the 2019-20 season to wear helmets in warmups for safety reasons was implemented during the 2022-23 season but was not officially added to the NHL rulebook until 2023-24.
The Sharks have a few players who entered the NHL before the 2019-2020 season who opt not to wear helmets during pregame warmups. Several Sharks players in recent years who were making their NHL debuts also did not wear a helmet during pregame warmups for the special occasion, but did so for all ensuing games.
It’s a no bucket zone
pic.twitter.com/q2SQruKtjC
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 30, 2025
Sharks forward Ty Dellandrea, who made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on Jan. 22, 2021, said winger Ryan Reaves – one of the few NHL players to still go without a visor on his helmet – thought of the idea not to wear helmets before Saturday’s game.
“Someone made a decision, and (Reaves) was telling everybody that we weren’t wearing helmets,” Dellandrea said. “So that’s the way it was.”
“Just to have a little bit of fun,” Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic said after Saturday’s game. “It’s a fun city. Everyone wants to have a good time. Maybe play with a little bit of swagger. Everybody feels good with the hair flowing and all of that. I thought it was fun.
“Maybe we’ll do it again, who knows?”
Ottawa Senators players also went without helmets before their game against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas last Wednesday.
“It kind of happened at the team dinner (Tuesday) night,” Senators center Shane Pinto told TSN. “We just decided to do it. It was pretty cool to do.”