Ice hockey players have been ‘stubborn’ about wearing neck protection. That might be about to change
A “crazy amount of emotions” ran through TJ Oshie’s mind as he watched footage of what would be American hockey player Adam Johnson’s final moments on the ice.
After keeping Johnson and the 29-year-old’s family in his thoughts, Oshie – a winger with the NHL’s Washington Capitals and co-founder of a hockey apparel company – said that his focus turned to how often he overlooks his own sense of self-preservation while competing at the top of the sport.
“Sometimes, you feel like you’re invincible on the ice,” the 36-year-old tells CNN Sport. “I tend to go at things head-first – slide in and worry about my injuries later.”
Days after Johnson’s death, which was described by his team as a “freak accident,” Oshie opted to wear an undershirt his company developed with a built-in protective guard around his neck for the Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on November 2.
His decision came at a time when there is much discussion within the hockey community about neck guards, particularly given the circumstances around Johnson’s death in the UK.
A Sheffield coroner’s report found that the Nottingham Panthers player “sustained an incised wound to the neck caused by the skate of another player” and later died in hospital as a result of the injury.
The Panthers had been playing the Sheffield Steelers on October 28 when Johnson was involved in a collision with an opposition player. Spectators were asked to leave the Utilita Arena in Sheffield and the match was immediately suspended.
“I thought about my kids,” Oshie says about wearing a neck guard as he reflects on Johnson’s death. “I’m getting towards the end of my career, and I just wanted to take that extra step to protect myself and protect their dad’s future.”
Several of his Capitals teammates have also been wearing cut-resistant neck guards in recent weeks, Oshie says, while some organizations have moved to mandate neck protection.
The English Ice Hockey Association has announced that all players must wear neck guards from the start of next year, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Johnson’s former NHL team, are mandating neck guards for their minor league players, coach Mike Sullivan has said.
Sheffield coroner Tanyka Rawden said in her report that she is “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future” if neck guards are not worn, adding that her inquest will determine whether neck protection could have prevented Johnson’s death.
https://www.irishdance805.com/group/mysite-200-group/discussion/67426539-f78d-4e7a-af51-32440c46087b
https://www.irishdance805.com/group/mysite-200-group/discussion/a82910c7-9a7f-4b6b-a2a3-528ef91aa177
https://www.irishdance805.com/group/mysite-200-group/discussion/8cf275e7-e76e-4413-8776-79ffd97c127f
https://www.irishdance805.com/group/mysite-200-group/discussion/d89a010b-5920-41ef-af08-725c2bfef07b
https://castbox.fm/channel/id5665821
https://castbox.fm/channel/id5665823
https://gitlab.know-center.tugraz.at/awertner/amplifier/-/issues/9776
https://gitlab.know-center.tugraz.at/awertner/amplifier/-/issues/9777
https://gamma.app/public/Full-HD-NGUOI-VO-CUOI-CUNG-2023-Vietsub-Thuyet-Minh-1080-p-8uybhmiwsm35l0d
http://pastebin.falz.net/2506364
https://www.onfeetnation.com/photo/albums/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://tempaste.com/DQCMCvlDl8I
http://pastie.org/p/5z1apkMS3RlUou5ti1LSYr
https://homment.com/PcmHEdMxGffeBiBvkWLx
https://caribbeanfever.com/photo/albums/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
http://phillipsservices.net/UserProfile/tabid/43/userId/268064/Default.aspx
https://www.bitsdujour.com/profiles/QKsW89
https://beterhbo.ning.com/photo/albums/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://profile.hatena.ne.jp/graziosizervosq/
http://zacriley.ning.com/photo/albums/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://muckrack.com/graziosizervosqd-graziosizervosqd/bio
https://learn.acloud.guru/profile/476542370527
https://yamcode.com/untitled-84666
https://healingxchange.ning.com/photo/albums/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://beterhbo.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://paiza.io/projects/mQGvFvaFfd1RX8V_To9Uug
https://paste.cutelyst.org/IEkYbvp5S
https://www.onfeetnation.com/profiles/blogs/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-wearing
https://paste.mozilla.org/SF6qQqLa
https://herbalmeds-forum.biolife.com.my/d/22343-ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about
http://ben-kiki.org/ypaste/data/84216/index.html
https://open.firstory.me/story/clot7sf4w00dy01vuetg7c921
https://herbalmeds-forum.biolife.com.my/d/22344-ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about
https://lively-whale-gwb0z4.mystrikingly.com/
https://gotartwork.com/Blog/ice-hockey-players-have-been/235715/
https://ok.ru/video/6840588896907
https://argueanything.com/thread/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about/
https://www.deviantart.com/morarisa/journal/Ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about-993671144
https://minecraftcommand.science/forum/discussion/topics/ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about
https://baskadia.com/post/le53
https://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/arwawaw/diary/202311110000/
https://forum.instube.com/d/59185-ice-hockey-players-have-been-stubborn-about
https://hackmd.io/@albersonronse/SkCILEnma
https://ide.geeksforgeeks.org/online-php-compiler/46a05c0b-71cb-48d7-a71d-649c50f0f649
https://tech.io/snippet/IJmiGSx
https://onlinegdb.com/iHN6wGR0N
https://events.ajc.com/event/9c5f4ed8c3c346cce95ae6bc5ec20ed7
https://paste.azago.in/36rGrFQBhS
http://pastehere.xyz/ae01Lbudq/
https://pastelink.net/5rfr1ku9
https://paste.toolforge.org/view/e68b540d
In the NHL, neck guards – let alone neck coverings of any kind – are not a common sight.
“I think there is a machismo within ice hockey where you’re seen as being something less if you choose to wear more protective equipment,” ice hockey broadcaster Seth Bennett tells CNN Sport.
“A lot of players would think that wearing a neck guard is more to do with getting a puck in the neck and trying to protect your larynx as much as a skate blade … There isn’t a thought process that this is something that is a vital piece of equipment.”
In the UK, where he also coaches youth ice hockey, Bennett says that he has seen senior players wear neck guards only when it satisfies an insurance requirement. He also believes that the sport and its players should do more to prioritize safety on the ice.
“It’s horrific that somebody died,” says Bennett. “It would be even worse if the sport stood with its fingers in its ears and its eyes closed.”
Neck guard demand grows
Currently, the International Ice Hockey Federation only mandates neck guards for junior players and recommends that all other players wear them on the ice, but it’s down to individual leagues and governing bodies to decide whether to make them compulsory in the games they oversee.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters earlier this month that introducing neck guards either through a mandate or on a “phased-in basis” is something that the league will discuss with the players’ association. He added that players have the right to make some decisions themselves.
USA Hockey, meanwhile, recommends that all players wear a guard which “covers as much of the neck area as possible,” noting that this sort of protection does not “eliminate the risk” of a laceration.
“I will say that hockey players are stubborn historically, and a lot of guys probably won’t try it or won’t wear it,” says 2018 Stanley Cup champion Oshie. “But I think you will see a lot more guys at least giving it a go on a practice or trying it on off the ice.”
Oshie – whose NHL career has so far spanned 16 seasons and nearly 1,000 games – founded his own hockey apparel company, Warroad, in 2018, and he has recently been sporting the brand’s neck guard at practices and during games.
Warroad’s neck guards are fitted with Kevlar and steel components, ensuring that they have enough stiffness to stay upright and offer effective coverage around the neck.
There has been huge demand for the company’s neck and wrist guards in recent weeks as professional and amateur players alike seek out more protective gear, according to Jason Olden, a Warroad co-founder.
“We built about 2,800 units,” Olden tells CNN Sport. “In about a 12-hour period, we’ve moved through all of our inventory of the neck and wrist product.”
He added: “Ultimately, it’s a bit of a frenzy from a supply chain standpoint because, now, we want to get as many players protected as quickly as we can, and we’re going to have constant rolling production for the foreseeable future.”
Other brands have also restated their commitment to player safety after Johnson’s death.