Hockey’s Equipment Debate

Tragedy struck the hockey world last week, as former Pittsburg Penguins’ player Adam Johnson suffered fatal injuries during an Elite Ice Hockey League game last week after an opponent’s skate made contact with his neck. The tragedy sparked the debate about protective hockey equipment, specifically neck guards. Some leagues have mandated neck guards, such as the Western Hockey League, the Pittsburg Penguins mandated that their East Coast Hockey League and American Hockey League affiliate’s players wear neck guards, and some National Hockey League players have started wearing them, such as TJ Oshie and Jake Walman. Upon hearing the news about Johnson, my immediate thought was that every hockey league, including the NHL, should mandate the use of neckguards. It seems like the smart thing to do after all. I don’t know if anyone from Johnson’s family was at the game or if those games are shown on TV, but if there were, I can’t even begin to imagine that. Even if no one from his family saw it, I can’t imagine receiving the news about what happened. I think there are a couple of arguments against the use of neck guards, one which seems valid and one that’s not. The one I didn’t think about I heard about in a video by Brian Sutterer MD on YouTube, in which he said neckguards can affect a player’s ability to turn their head, which could cause other injuries. We see enough players getting nailed in the face by a puck, and not having that range of motion could make that worse. By the way, check out Sutterer’s YouTube channel; he makes a lot of cool and informative videos. I think this is a valid argument as to why they shouldn’t be mandated right away. Players need to get used to wearing them in practice so they can learn to compensate for the limited range of motion for their necks. The one that isn’t valid is that they don’t look good or a player isn’t tough because they are wearing one. To me, protecting myself from something that Johnson and his family had to go through far outweighs how I would look wearing neck protection. I do think neck guards will be mandated in the NHL at some point, but it will be a while. There is also a debate about whether junior and pro hockey players should have to wear protective cages when they play. I was always against it, but considering all of the facial injuries hockey players suffer, I’m leaning slightly in the other direction. Again, pro players may think they look silly with a cage, but maybe ask former Detroit Red Wings forward Drew Miller how it felt nearly getting his eye ripped apart by a skate or former New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal how it felt nearly losing an eye when a puck came millimeters from hitting him directly in the eye. Had either of those incidents turned out ever so slightly different, either of them could have lost an eye and have been forced to retire. To me, I’d rather take the necessary steps that allow me to stay healthy for my team and have a long NHL career than worry about looking silly. I will also say that I’ve never actually played hockey, I’ve just been a huge fan my whole life. For anyone who plays or used to play hockey, I’d love to know if I’m missing something or if there’s something I haven’t considered. Either way, let’s hope we remember and learn from what has happened to hockey players in the past so we don’t have any more of these horrible incidents. Rest in peace, Adam.