Neck guards, as well as cut-resistant socks, sleeves and undergarments, long have been recommended by USA Hockey.
Soon, the recommendation for neck guards will become a requirement.
On Aug. 1, USA Hockey’s neck laceration protection mandate, which was approved on Jan. 28, will go into effect. The legislation applies to youth, girls and junior players in games and practices, as well as on-ice officials under the age of 18.
“I know throughout our organization, the overwhelming opinion was that the time is appropriate to modify our rules related to neck laceration protection,” USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher (Belmont, Mass.) said in a statement.
The legislation also continued the strong recommendation of neck laceration protection for adults, too.
To many, it was no surprise to see the requirement come to fruition.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Duxbury girls head coach Dan Najarian said. “If you look around the game now, these kids are super exposed through the neck area. … I really started to notice that this season. None of them have any sort of protection in the neck area. So I think it’s only good for the game. It’s one of those improvements that doesn’t really affect the game. So it’s a no-brainer. It’s not like you're asking them to use a different type of hockey stick or a different type of skate.”
Before USA Hockey’s announcement, momentum already was building in the area to implement a requirement.
“We had already moved to mandate it for ourselves for next year,” said Craig Badger, Frederick Gunn boys coach and president of the NEPSAC boys hockey coaches association. “We all realized that it would have been very difficult for any of us to come up with a real argument as to why we shouldn't make the move. I think that leaves very, very few people pushing back. I think certainly a lot of us also have young kids, who are playing and are starting to play, and that also changes perspective on things.”
The MIAA will require neck guards this season, too, after the NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Committee announced its own mandate in early May.
The conversation surrounding neck guards came to the forefront again this past season after the tragic death of former NHLer Adam Johnson, who died after taking a skate to the neck in a game with the Nottingham Panthers in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League. He was 29.
New England experienced a similar tragedy in January 2022 when Teddy Balkind, a 16-year-old sophomore at St. Luke’s, died after taking a skate to the neck in a junior varsity game against Brunswick.
“I think anytime you have those situations, it certainly puts it to the front of mind for people,” Kevin Kavanagh, Mass. Hockey’s executive director, said. “I'm not sure that we ever would have gotten to this point without those incidents, but sometimes that's what it takes to really create the awareness or the response to what is potentially a need.
“There may be some players or families that don't want the added hassle of another piece of equipment that either they have to purchase or wear, but this decision was being made for the greater good and all the right reasons.”
LATEST ISSUE: Check out the May/June edition of the New England Hockey Journal magazine
Hockey Canada long has required the use of a BNQ-certified neck protector for minor and female hockey players. The Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League already had provisions in place, too.
After Johnson’s death, the International Ice Hockey Federation, which already had requirements for U-20 and U-18 competition, mandated neck guards in all of its tournaments, including the Olympics and world championships. The English Ice Hockey Association, as well as the Western Hockey League, announced mandates as well.
“When you think about a lot of big changes that happen in sport, unfortunately, an enormous tragedy is what drives it,” Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer’s vice president of global marketing, said. “When those stories went viral, I think the entire hockey community kind of said, ‘We’ve got to make a change.’ I think what we were talking about was, ‘How do we sustain the momentum?’ Because in the past, we lost the momentum. It was a blip on the radar. So then, we lost another player, and I think the leaders in the sport got together and said, ‘We can’t let this happen again.’
“These tragedies are so tragic, but hopefully we don't let them go by without making sure that it inspires new thinking and new education around the importance of this.”
Badger said NEPSAC would have mandated it immediately this past season if not for supply concerns. The IIHF, EIHA and WHL mandates were not immediate either due to supply issues.
It’s “not easy to suddenly start” ramping up production of cut-resistant equipment, Ken Cashman, Bauer’s director of apparel, said. Among a long list of determinants, factories need to meet certification requirements. Once able, Bauer got to work increasing supply.
“We have a great factory where we bought a ton of raw material, added machines, gave us more capacity and kind of aligned with us on how important this was,” Cashman said. “So, we were able to fill the funnel quickly. We spent air freight and got product in. So we feel we’re in a really good place where we were able to supply the market prior to this, especially in the U.S. because it wasn’t as big. But we’re seeing all ships rise. We’re seeing it globally, an increase in this product, which is great to see. Even in areas like Canada that have always required it, we’re seeing a big increase in people wanting more.”
Neck guards long have been viewed as cumbersome, uncomfortable and uncool in minor hockey circles. Manufacturers like Bauer are trying to strike a balance between providing adequate protection while creating a product players will want to wear.
“If you wore the cut-resistant socks, especially back in the day, they were really scratchy and uncomfortable. Now, put that on your neck, and it’s a whole different animal,” Cashman said. “We want it to be the most protective, it needs to pass certification and it needs to do all those things. But kids need to be comfortable and wear it. In order to protect you and pass certification, there’s a maximum height it has to be at, and you have to have Velcro so that if God forbid there is an accident, medics can get in there. It’s cut-resistant, so you can't cut it off. So, you want to be able to access the neck. All those things combined make it difficult.”
THE BIG QUESTION: When should players go to juniors? Experts weigh in
Be it advancements in production, materials or styling, like performance shirts that have neck protection built in, as well as the safety element, the stigma surrounding neck guards is starting to dissipate.
“These are wildly different from the neck guards than what I wore back in the ’90s, especially with the shirt models, which is very similar to what a lot of players were wearing this season anyway,” Badger said. “I feel for the most part, they didn't really notice it in terms of being uncomfortable or anything like that.”
Najarian said, “Once they get used to it — there'll be some adjustment period — but once they get used to it, it'll be the same as putting on their hockey gloves.”
Whether it’s new styles, increased visibility or simply a mandate meaning kids can’t play hockey without neck protection, Messier believes neck guards will become normalized. It’s similar to the NHL’s visor requirements. Now, it’s out of the ordinary to see a professional player without a visor.
“When everyone’s wearing it, it really doesn’t matter,” she said. “We’ve seen some leaders in the sport, some pro players, adopting neck protection. … I think we’ve made up a lot of ground there, but it’s balance. If we try to focus too much on comfort, we don’t have the production we need. The mandate is going to help with all of that, and that's good news for kids.
“As a parent, it makes it easier. You can say, ‘It’s not me. It’s a mandate.’ ”
Unfortunately, the virality of Johnson’s death was a major factor in raising awareness, too.
“I think with the advent of the Internet and access to all these videos and these kids hearing stories about (Johnson), they see all of that,” Najarian said. “I’ve got a 13-year-old son. He sees that, and it's like ‘Oh, OK. This is real. This can happen.’ As opposed to just his father saying, ‘Hey, put a neck guard on,’ when nobody else is wearing them.”
More players at the game’s highest levels have started wearing neck protection. Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie has his own apparel company, Warroad, which produces cut-resistant gear. Vancouver’s Conor Garland (Scituate, Mass.) also is among an increased number of NHL players wearing neck protection. Locally, Boston College’s Jamie Armstrong (Warwick, R.I.) was an example in the NCAA this season.
THE PROS: Bruins players speak on prep hockey, development and the path upwards
“Anytime there's buy-in at the highest levels, the players at the younger ages tend to respond favorably. I think you'll continue to see more and more NHL players going this direction,” Kavanagh said.
Cashman knows the work can’t stop once the mandate takes effect this summer.
“We also have to make sure that we're enforcing it, and it's not being altered,” he said. “Because you can make it more comfortable if you wrap hockey tape, stuff it down and do all those things that it's no longer protecting you. So I think there's that other part of it. It's mandating it, and then also making sure there's something in place where the referees understand how it's supposed to be worn, making sure it's not being altered. If not, then we're just checking a box and we're not really protecting the kids.”
As coaches, Badger and Najarian know they’ll have to be on top of making sure players acquire appropriate neck protection and wear it properly.
“In the end we're dealing with teenagers,” Badger said. “Mouthguards are a great example, right? Those were mandated when I played. I did my best not to wear it half the time, as did everybody else. When I was a kid going up to play in Canada in the summers, neck guards were mandatory. We took those, and we tried to fold them, tape them and do all sorts of things to avoid following the rule as it stated. Kids will always try to get around those types of things. I think it's certainly something that we'll have to always work to enforce.”
Najarian said, “It’s going to go out in a text. Every athletic director is going to be sending it out on school emails. It’s going to be posted everywhere.
“It’ll be real simple. Show up for tryouts. Have your neck guard. If you don’t, you can’t skate. They’ll be running across the street to Pure Hockey to buy one in no time.”
NTDP BOUND: Inside the paths taken by Casey Mutryn, Jamie Glance and Luke Schairer to make the USNTDP
Badger also believes players holding each other accountable will be important, too. He understands certain messaging resonates more coming from one’s peers, rather than being told to do it by an adult.
USA Hockey’s rule also follows the same enforcement as other equipment violations. Referees will issue teams an initial warning before issuing 10-minute misconducts to players for any subsequent violations. Nobody wants to cost his or her team.
“There are other equipment rules that follow the same trend,” Badger said. “When you get kicked off the ice because you don't have your earguards or something like that, there's the peer pressure that comes with that, especially when you're trying to win games. The team has to deal with you being sent off the ice off the first faceoff. That's not a great start to the game. All of our kids want to win and want to be competitive. Certainly, peer accountability is way more effective than coaches having to do it.”
