That whole business of sticks in the face seems to have evolved into the game over time. I played for many years, and remember getting one stick in the face. By luck, I lost no teeth or received any stitches, and we did not wear shields. I also don't recall players in the old NHL, who wore no helmets. going around constantly getting sticks in the face, though they received many inadvertant cuts of course. There seemed to be more respect for the head/face.
I suppose poking your stick in another player's face if you are losing ground on him is yet another by-product of the advent of helmets/visors. Some sort of deconditioning needs to happen. Such a needless thing. Penalties are not solving it as players are willing to risk losing a series rather than stop. .