In less than a week following the tragic death of former NHL player, Adam Johnson, precautions have been taken in many levels of hockey. From junior leagues in Canada to the NHL, many teams and players have advocated for the use of more protective equipment.
Johnson was killed in an EIHL (English pro league) game on October 28 between the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers. In a freak accident, the skate of Sheffield player, Matt Petgrave, rose in the air and directly struck Johnson’s throat. Johnson bled quickly and collapsed on the ice in front of a crowd of 8,000 spectators and more on TV. It was announced hours later that the 29-year-old had died.
The tragedy impacted many in the NHL and hockey fans on social media. However, it also raised necessary questions. What if this incident happened during a televised NHL game? What safety precautions can be taken to prevent this? How long will it take for the league to enforce these measures until it happens again?
The WHL, Western Hockey League, is a major junior hockey league in Western Canada featuring some of North America’s best prospects from ages 15 to 20. On November 1, the league announced the mandatory use of neck guards for all players for all on-ice activity effective the same week.
This move by the WHL shows their concern for their players’ safety. It is also surprising to some that the WHL is one of the first leagues to make mandates as they don’t enforce a full facemask rule as junior leagues in the US do. USA Hockey requires all players to wear a full facemask or cage until they are 18 years old. Some may find it shocking that the WHL mandated protection for the neck before the face.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported that Mike Sullivan, head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, said the Penguins’ minor league teams will be required to wear neck and wrist guards. Johnson’s 13 NHL games played, in his days before hockey in England, were with the Penguins.
The question remains if the NHL will mandate any action. “To the extent anything would be mandated, it’s something that, A, there needs to be appropriate education, and B, it’s something we do in consultation with the player’s association,” said Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, in an interview on the Pat McAfee Show. “There’s nothing to stop players from better protecting themselves whether it’s the neck, wrists, or legs from wearing more protective equipment.”
Ten years ago, the NHL began to require players with little to no experience in the league to wear visors on their helmets due to the recent eye injuries that occurred in prior seasons. Today, there are only a handful of players who don’t wear a visor on their helmets. As years go by and those players retire, the league will have every player wearing a visor.
Some players are jumping ahead of the curve and wearing neck guards willingly. Erik Karlsson, defenseman for the Penguins, equipped a neck guard in practice on November 2. TJ Oshie, winger for the Washington Capitals, played in that night’s game versus the New York Islanders in a Warroad neck guard. Warroad is a hockey apparel and equipment company founded by Oshie.
It’s becoming evident that players are willing to take matters into their own hands with or without a mandate. It’s worth noting the recent pushback players have with league-wide mandates such as wearing pride jerseys on pride nights or requiring a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. In this case, it seems that the players will make the decisions they feel are best until the league takes action.
Vancouver Canucks center and former Pittsburgh teammate of Johnson, Teddy Blueger, told ESPN it’s a matter of time until more players come around to wearing more protection. “Everyone has to make up their own mind but it’s definitely something worth considering. I’m sure now it’ll be a hot topic of conversation... it wouldn’t surprise me to see more guys wearing that stuff.”
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