PORTLAND, Maine, April 1, 2017 – Workers' compensation specialty insurer MEMIC is looking to revolutionize the sport of hockey. MEMIC has assisted the Detroit Red Wings' minor league team, the Moops, in their proposal to the Cross Insurance Arena trustees to bring pro hockey back to Portland. The proposal has the potential to lower costs and attract the best players by virtually guaranteeing freedom from injuries, says MEMIC spokesperson Fred Dahead.

As the former safety sponsor for the Portland Pirates, Dahead says MEMIC has long thought there are far too many unnecessary hockey injuries. But he says, “Fans love the contact sport, so we knew the solution needed to embrace that. Then Jimmy Livingston came along.”

James Livingston, whom friends affectionately call “The Bubble Boy,” organized an exhibition event with his favorite players from the Vancouver Canucks, which was almost cancelled when some of their star players came down with mumps. But Livingston came up with an idea that saved the day and caught MEMIC’s attention, see the video here.

Fans loved Livingston’s special “quarantine balls” that didn’t just stop the spread of germs and disease, but made contact between players both safe and fun. This is the logical progression of the Auto-Protective Reinforced Injury-Limiting Full Occupational Orthopedic Lumbar Shell (A.P.R.I.L.F.O.O.L.S.) that MEMIC launched two years ago says Dahead. MEMIC is the workers’ comp insurer for Gillette Stadium and if the Moops’ new PPE is a success in Portland, they will talk to the New England Patriots about adopting the technology. “This could add decades to Brady’s career,” says Dahead.