Following the death of former NHL player Adam Johnson due to an injury sustained from a fellow player’s skate blade, many questions have been asked about the safety of a sport in which players fly around at high speeds with sharp implements strapped to their feet.
Although it was a less serious injury, Seattle Kraken winger Jordan Eberle suffered a cut to his leg from a skate blade this week that caused him to miss time.
There is currently no mandate for NHL players to wear neck guards or other protection, but could that process change?
ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski checked with sources around the hockey world to answer the biggest questions surrounding the situation, and how it could change in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.
Is neck protection mandatory in any other leagues?
So far, neck protection is mandatory in only a handful of leagues and/or entities. The International Ice Hockey Federation has mandatory neck protection for its under-18 and under-20 men’s players along with its under-18 women’s players. Older players are not required to wear a certified neck protector. As of Oct. 31, it was also mandatory in two of the three leagues within the Canadian Hockey League, being the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey…
