Increasingly rare: Only four players will not wear a mask next season

There are only four of them.

Four players continue to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) without wearing a very useful piece of eye protection.

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Since the 2013-14 season, all players who have played 25 or fewer games at Pittman Arena must wear a mask under Regulation 9.7.

This means that all players not wearing a mask today have already played at least 25 league games before these new regulations were implemented.

So, can you name the four players who dare not wear a mask despite the speed of the game, the power of the shots and the unpredictability of the puck's bounce?

Let's start with the person whose picture adorns this article: Jamie Benn.

Despite being (almost) 35 years old, the Dallas Stars captain is still enjoying great success in the NHL. He's just had 78 and 60 points and hasn't lost his effectiveness in the playoffs.

If he doesn't slow down suddenly, he may be one of the last players not to wear a mask over his protective helmet in a few years.

The man who risks being the last of the Mohicans is undoubtedly Ryan O'Reilly of the Nashville Predators. At “just” 33 years old, he's the youngest skater on this list and his contract last expires in 2030.

Image source: Getty Images via AFP

The final two players in the race are marginal players, but equally “brave.” First, there’s Toronto Maple Leafs power forward Ryan Reaves and Minnesota Wild power forward Zach Bogosian.

The latter is the second youngest player on this list, turning 34 in a few days. Reeves, for his part, is one step away from retirement at 37.

Two more players could be added to the list in the coming days as they have yet to sign with an NHL team for next season. They are Matt Martin, who played most of his career with the New York Islanders, and Milan Lucic, whose career is likely to be over due to off-ice setbacks.

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