The tragedy that claimed Adam Johnson’s life when he was hit in the throat with a skate has given many people pause.
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Since the horrific incident, the number of NHL players trying out different prototype neck guards during practice has increased. On Wednesday morning, Brendan Gallagher and Michael Pezzetta jumped onto the ice at the Brossard Sports Complex with one of these models.
“I wanted to try it out to see. Honestly, I felt a lot better than I expected,” Gallagher said.
“It’s not that bad,” said Pezzetta, who had to wear that piece of equipment until he made the jump to the professional ranks. Yes, it was wide and thick, but when it comes to safety, it’s a detail.”
Pezzetta gives himself the time to test different models during training and find the model he feels most comfortable with.
As for Gallagher, he’s not closing the door on going so far as to wear one to a game in the near future.
“But definitely not tomorrow night [jeudi]“, he clarified.
“It’s been a while since I’ve worn one. It was mandatory during the World Junior Championships, but not when I played in the Western Junior League,” said the Albertan.
This is no longer the case today, since the sad incident the Western Junior League has made wearing a neck protector mandatory.
Marked for life
One of Gallagher’s good friends, Josh Nicholls, witnessed the event up close as he took part in the encounter on Johnson’s opposing team. His statement shocked the Canadian player.
“It’s difficult for everyone there. You need help. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to experience that. “The lives of everyone who was in the amphitheater that day are forever marked,” the attacker said.
Even on this side of the Atlantic, they were images that were difficult to view.
“My mom texted me a few times and asked me to wear her. So I promised him I would try,” Pezzetta said. I also understand his concern about events in England. I can’t imagine what his family must be going through.”
A culture for change
Now that we’ve taken the plunge into training, we can wonder when the day will come when an NHL player will dare to wear it in a regular game.
The word “dare” is apt, as Gallagher admitted to being the target of ridicule from some teammates.
As it turns out, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to raising awareness.
“There will definitely be discussions on this issue,” said Gallagher, one of two representatives from the Canadiens players’ association.
Furthermore, it would not be surprising if the NHL itself had to mandate the wearing of neck guards by introducing a grandfather clause, as was the case with the hard hat (1979) and the half visor (2013).