The National Hockey League (NHL) and its players’ association reportedly held discussions over the weekend about wearing neck guards.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Tuesday in an interview with Sirius NHL Network Radio.
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“We have strongly urged players to use cut-resistant equipment,” the career lawyer said. But it’s an adjustment for them.”
Former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson died last Saturday as a result of a serious skating injury to his neck during a game between the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers in England.
“The American League and ECHL already require the wearing of cut protection gear for wrists and forearms,” Daly added. Of course, given the terrible accident that occurred recently, we will definitely speed up the process regarding neck protection.”
According to The Athletic’s website journalist Michael Russo, Gary Bettman’s right-hand man told him that he hopes this horrific incident will encourage players to incorporate the item into their kit.
While the deputy commissioner did not want to assure that the NHL will eventually mandate the use of neck protection, he at least confirmed that officials will discuss it.
Farmer offers to help
In response to the death of Adam Johnson, the Bauer company released a statement saying it wanted to educate players about the importance of wearing a neck brace and make its use mandatory.
“We believe now is the time for the hockey community to come together to take urgent, concrete action,” the company wrote.
In order to make ice hockey as safe as possible, the manufacturer says it wants to work with top athletes and governing bodies such as Hockey Canada to inform them about product design.
Mandatory for Penguins farm clubs
After Johnson’s death, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced that wearing a “neck guard” and wrist guards would now be mandatory for all players on their school clubs. These are ice hockey players from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) and the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL).
However, this is not mandatory for NHL players, although the organization strongly recommends it.
“[Le président des opérations hockey Kyle Dubas] “I had a discussion about it,” Sullivan said after his team’s practice Tuesday. We are currently trying to talk to our players about some protective equipment in these areas. Our AHL team required players to wear neck and wrist guards. Also our ECHL team. We can’t do that at the NHL level, but we can definitely encourage strongly and hope that the message is heard.