Kevin Bieksa learned the hard way. Aaron Volpatti saw the way. So did Chris Tanev.

Five years ago, while battling the Nashville Predators’ Vernon Fiddler along the corner boards, Fiddler’s skate sliced Bieksa’s right calf muscle fibres that join the Achilles tendon. The freak accident sidelined the Canucks defenceman for nearly fourth months.

Then, three years ago, in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes, a tendon that attaches to Bieksa’s left ankle bone was severed by Peter Prucha’s skate and the blueliner missed another 26 games. So much for going sockless.

And now, Volpatti and Tanev have joined the Kevlar crowd and donned the cut-resistant socks Thursday for the first time.

“Some have worn them for a bit and taken them off, worn them for a bit and taken them off again, and so it was funny, you come in this morning (Thursday) and they’re all laid out now,” said Bieksa. “You can’t make anything mandatory, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t wear them. Short-track speedskaters do and it’s just a risk you want to prevent.

“We’ve done some tests. We’ve taken a knife to them — and scissors, too.”

Listening to Bieksa recall the long rehab from his Achilles injury was so sobering, it’s hard to imagine players not being educated enough to protect themselves. Ryan Kesler estimated that at least 90 per cent of the Canucks are now using Kevlar protection, especially after Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson had his Achilles lacerated Wednesday when sliced by the skate of Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke on a sideboards check. The Senators defenceman wasn’t wearing Kevlar socks; needless to say, Bieksa felt for the Norris Trophy winner.

“One thing I noticed was how much pain he was in,” said Bieksa. “I just remember my cut being so clean that I really didn’t feel anything and not having any function in my foot because it (Achilles) had been severed. You’re immobilized for some time in a cast and there’s the difficulty of atrophy and all that stuff. You almost have to teach yourself to walk again. He (Karlsson) is going to have to been patient in the process. The timeline is four to six months and I came back in thee months and 22 days, and it was early for sure.

“When I first got back, I was second-guessing myself and not feeling comfortable on the ice and it took a good year to feel 100 per cent.”

No wonder Tanev reached for the Kevlar socks before practice Thursday. As a puck-rushing defenceman who’s always targeted, he’s in constant danger of a freak accident in board battles where skates ride up on contact, just like Karlsson. And even though Dan Hamhuis doesn’t wear the protective socks, he wears a protective sleeve.

“He (Bieksa) didn’t have to convince me,” said Tanev. “It’s something so simple that can prevent something like that. When you see how much pain Karlsson was in, it’s such a simple thing to do. I didn’t really know about them and it’s just another sock. It feels exactly the same.”

Volpatti also came clean Thursday. If not for the Karlsson injury, he might not have changed his thinking.

“To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about it, but it has happened to me a few times over the last couple of years, so I think it’s something that a lot of guys are going to try and do now,” said Volpatti. “It (injury) is just something that’s easily preventable, so why not? It’s not too much different than a regular sock. It’s an easy enough transition.”

Keith Ballard transitioned to the Kevlar socks when he joined the Canucks from the Florida Panthers. Seeing what Bieksa went through made the decision easier and it’s one less thing to worry about when retrieving pucks in his own zone.

“A lot of things can happen and when you go back for the puck and if you think about all the bad stuff, you’re not really thinking about moving the puck — you’re going to go back timid and scared — and it’s not going to go too well,” said Ballard. “It’s nice to have the protection and hopefully I don’t have to find out if it works. And I don’t notice a difference. I like a thick sock, but they make them thick and thin and they have different sleeves you can wear.”

bkuzma@theprovince.com

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