OTTAWA – A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians support the NHL’s decision to make visors mandatory for incoming players.

Four out of five people surveyed in a Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll said they agreed with the new proposal.

Some 52 per cent strongly agreed with the new rule, which still needs to be approved by the NHL board of governors, while 28 per cent somewhat agreed.

Only eight per cent disagreed with the change.

Avid NHL fans are strong supporters of mandatory visors with 90 per cent of those surveyed saying they agreed with the move.

There was little difference of opinion between genders in the poll as 83 per cent of women agreed the rule change and 78 per cent of men backed it.

More than eight out 10 people over the age of 35 agreed visors should be mandatory for new players.

Pending final approval from the board of governors, visors will be required for all new players next season and those who have yet to log 26 NHL games.

The telephone survey of 1,005 Canadians was conducted June 6-9 and is considered accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20.