The news of Adam Johnson’s senseless death during a game over the weekend has shocked and saddened the hockey world. It has also potentially — hopefully — sparked long-needed change surrounding the use of neck protectors at all levels of the game.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Monday that several NHL players she spoke to “are now considering trying out protective neck guards” after this weekend’s tragedy.
New Jersey blueliner John Marino gave a bit more detail, telling NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky on Sunday that he and his Devils teammates “discussed the possibility of a neck guard mandate” over the weekend. Marino, who was Johnson’s teammate with the Penguins, added he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the NHL makes neck protection mandatory in the near future.
Multiple players in the American Hockey League (the NHL’s top minor league) were spotted wearing neck protection, while the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester said the team placed an order for additional neck guards and shirt-neck guard combinations after the incident, with some players already using them in practice.
Several Providence Bruins, including John Farinacci and Fabian Lysell, wearing neck guards tonight.
Good for them. In the best interest of the players and leagues to move towards mandatory use. They’re pretty noninvasive nowadays, too. pic.twitter.com/rvD1uZmPwO
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) October 29, 2023
Johnson’s fatal injury occurred in the English pro league, the EIHL, during a game between the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers in front of more than 8,000 fans inside Utilita Arena Sheffield on Saturday after Johnson’s neck was sliced by the errant skate of opposing player Matt Petgrave.
The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) — which regulates hockey in England much like USA Hockey and Hockey Canada do in their respective countries — mandated neck protection at all levels in light of the horrific tragedy on Sunday. Ice Hockey UK, which operates Great Britain’s national team, alongside Scottish Ice Hockey, which regulates the sport in Scotland, already had neck-guard mandates in place, according to the BBC.
As of writing, in what is an extremely fluid situation, the NHL has not yet shared plans to implement neck protection mandates of any kind.
The Penguins — along with much of the hockey world — paid tribute to Johnson on Sunday, mourning a life that ended too soon, adding “it was our honor to watch him fulfill his dream of playing in the National Hockey League.”
Captain Sidney Crosby also commented on Johnson’s tragic passing on Monday, calling him “a great guy” and a “great teammate.”
Between 2018-19 and 2019-20, Johnson played in 13 games with the Penguins, scoring one goal and four points. He toiled in the AHL and Europe the following few seasons before landing in the German DEL for the 2022-23 campaign and in England with Nottingham for 2023-24.
Johnson was just 29.
