WATCH: Stonewall arena paints ‘look-up line’ to help prevent injuries

STONEWALL — A simple orange line on the ice is grabbing a lot of attention at the Stonewall Arena.

“It’s obviously a no brainer, it’s a safety precaution,” said Scott Myers, a hockey coach and Executive Director of minor hockey in Stonewall. “you get people coming in asking what it is.”

There’s a 40 inch wide orange line painted on the ice along the boards called the look up line and the Veterans Memorial Sports Complex in Stonewall is the first in Manitoba to put it in.

“It’s there to alert kids looking down at the puck to look up,” said Ralph Nespor, who first saw the idea while in the states, so he brought the idea to Stonewall.

“When the kids look up and see a hit coming instead of going head first into the boards it could possibly prevent a spinal cord injury,” said Nespor.

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Myers says it’s going to take a while for kids to get use to it.

“it’s going to take time for kids to realize what it is and get in the habit of lifting their heads,” said Myers, “if it can save one injury, one fatality anything from a kid being injured it’s worth it.”

Shanna Meier is a hockey mom to four boys.  She’s seen kids hit the boards and get injured, she’s also helped treat them.

“I work in health care so I get those kids come through the hospital and end up treating a lot of them,” said Meier, who wishes the look-up line was in more arenas, “if it’s something that can give them a couple seconds to put the brakes on or put their head up, anything we can do to prevent injuries is a good thing.”

It took Shane Scott who helps maintain the arena half a day to put the line in.

“it’s just part of the process of when you’re putting in your ice, it’s just one extra step,” said Scott.

The idea has spread quickly throughout many US arenas and a few in Alberta and BC but Hockey Winnipeg says there’s no arenas in Winnipeg that have it.

“It should be in every arena,” Nespor said. “I hope others in Manitoba see its benefits and do it.”