Two junior hockey leagues in Northwestern Ontario are vowing to take strong action to ensure neck guards are worn on the ice, after the death of a professional player in the U.K last weekend.
Adam Johnson, a 29-year-old former NHLer, died after his neck was cut by a skate during a game between the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League, which oversees the Superior International Junior Hockey League and eight other junior A circuits across the country, released a statement on Thursday announcing that neck guards are now mandatory.
“We have instructed our officials to increase their diligence in monitoring the use of neck guards including that they are BNQ certified, free of any modification and affixed properly. We have also warned our clubs of the same. It will be in effect for games starting Friday and going forward,” said Superior International Junior Hockey League commissioner Darrin Nicholas.
Mike Sveinson, vice chair of the league's board and president of the Dryden GM Ice Dogs, said players tend to follow the neck guard policy closely because violation of it can bring serious penalties.
“There’s that impetus there from the locker room where [coaches say] ‘Hey, make sure your equipment is in order, don’t cost the team any penalties because your equipment is not ready,” Svienson said. “I’ve had direct conversations with the coaches about this. Everybody is talking about neck guards this week.”
Players in the league will be given a one-game suspension at minimum for not wearing a neck guard or improper use. If a player’s neck guard falls off during play, they will need to immediately return to the bench for a substitution without continuing play.
Luke Judson, the general manager and assistant coach of the Fort Frances Lakers, is also hopeful that players will give more attention to neck guards.
“[The younger players], until this issue happened, [would] roll [their neck guard] up or down their necks,” Judson said. “They might think they’re uncomfortable or maybe it’s just that they don’t think they look cool. But hopefully this draws some more attention to it, to make sure kids are protecting themselves.”
Under Hockey Canada rules, players in Hockey Northwestern Ontario are required to wear neck guards at all times on the ice.
Kam River Fighting Walleye captain Jeremy Dunmore said players in the league are lucky to be looked up to by the younger generation.
“We want to do our best to promote hockey safety to keep everyone safe," Dunmore said.
"I’ve been fortunate to never have any close calls with skates around the neck [and] facial area but I have seen skates cut a few teammates in the face before and it is pretty scary.”
In addition to the incident involving Johnson, North American events have also added to past conversations about making the equipment mandatory at higher levels, including when Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik was accidentally cut by teammate Olli Jokinen during a February 2008 game against the Buffalo Sabres.
His injury drew comparisons with a similar injury suffered in 1989 by Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk.
The Lakehead Junior Hockey League has five clubs within Thunder Bay, Schreiber and Nipigon. President Josh Gribben said his officials will be more tuned in to players wearing neck guards, and ensuring they are properly worn.
“It’s super important for our players and all junior players to lead by example. Our players are role models for youth players and we should ensure that we are setting the right example,” Gribben said.
Current River Storm forward Noah Broughton would feel “naked” without wearing a neck guard.
“I think neck guards should be mandatory for all leagues of hockey across the world, because wearing a neck guard doesn’t affect how you play, and [you never notice it while you’re playing]. It also can save your life so there’s no reason not to wear one,” Broughton said.
Nipigon Elks captain Carter Hargreaves said that he has witnessed a few close calls.
"It’s scary and frightening because even with full equipment on, and the required safety equipment, you never know what will happen when you step on any ice surface. I’ve had my neck guard cut in half from a player’s skate when I was down on the ice when I was playing in Kapuskasing," Hargreaves said. "It’s a scary thing and I hope Hockey Canada is now strict with neck guards at any level of hockey.”
In the professional leagues, team doctors are trained in trauma care and are required to be seated behind the home team bench at every game.
For major junior hockey, the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League already have neck guard rules in place while the Western Hockey League implemented their own neck guard measure this week.
With files from Mike Stimpson