Booing During The Stanley Cup Finals Can Hurt Your Health, Clinic Says

Fans of the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings will no doubt boo at some point during the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, which start Wednesday night. However, according to Canada's largest network of hearing-health clinics, those sounds of derision can actually have an adverse effect on people's health.

Connect Hearing's director of professional practice, MJ DeSousa, says excessive noise during NHL playoff games this year - plenty of which has involved booing the poor play of home teams and opposing players - increases the chance of hearing loss.
"As the chase for the Stanley Cup heats up, fans in the stands will become increasingly emotional," says DeSousa, an audiologist based in Ontario. "We encourage people to take precautions in arena atmospheres."

DeSousa pointed out that crowd noise at a first-round game between Washington and Boston was so excessive officials couldn't communicate. The situation led to a clock error at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Reports listed the decibel level at well over 100 during an April 19 Capitals-Bruins game.

"When it's so loud that you can't hear the person next to you, you are exposing your ears to potential damage. You may not realize the damage done for decades, but there are ways to curtail hearing loss before you feel its effects, which is why we offer complimentary hearing screenings to Canadians across the country," DeSousa says.

Even those fans who will watch games in noisy sports bars are at risk, Connect Hearing suggests. DeSousa recommends carrying ear plugs and using them in any loud atmosphere. The best-of-seven NHL Finals series begins at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. and then moves to the Staples Center in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Monday night. The Devils are seeking their fourth Stanley Cup while the Kings are chasing their first NHL title, having reached the finals only one other time, in 1993, when they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.