Once was enough to make Chris Phillips see straight.
The Senators defenceman admitted Wednesday he had a hard time watching the replays of New York Rangers defenceman Marc Staal accidentally taking a deflected puck near the eye Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Accidentally hit in the right eye by a puck off the stick of then-Edmonton Oilers defenceman Dan McGillis on Feb. 26, 1998, Phillips, 34, hasn't played a game without a visor since. That night proved to be the only wakeup call he needed.
A rookie at the time, Phillips took nine stitches behind his eye that night in Edmonton and was lucky the damage wasn't worse.
"Once was enough and that was a pretty good one," said Phillips, who had worn a visor in junior and took it off "because I could. I had made it to the NHL. In hindsight, I didn't need to do that."
