Adam Johnson’s tragic death during a UK Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) game last Saturday in Sheffield has created reverberations across the ice hockey world and, unlike previous incidents, may finally prove the catalyst for widespread change when it comes to protective equipment.
The Nottingham Panther died after sustaining a throat laceration during the second period in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers. The incident, which has been described by the Panthers club and others around the hockey world as a “freak accident”, is indeed a rare occurrence, despite the sport’s speed, physical contact and players’ razor-sharp skate blades. But it is not the first of its kind.
Last year, Teddy Balkind, a high school player in Connecticut, suffered a cut to the throat during a game and died of his injuries. That, like Johnson’s death, briefly prompted questions about mandating the use of neck guards – a Velcro-clasped foam sleeve that sits around the neck or a protective collar attached to a player’s base layer shirt. But nothing came of it.
USA Hockey still only “recommends” that players wear neck guards and requirements vary by region. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) also does not mandate neck guards. In Canada, the historical home of ice hockey, all under-16 players are required to wear neck guards no matter where they play. However, if players reach the major junior level – a step before going professional – the regulations again depend on the league. While major junior leagues in Ontario and Quebec mandate neck guards, the Western Hockey League, which covers western Canada and includes two US States, does not.
Nottingham Panthers will hold a gathering on Saturday night following the death of their player Adam Johnson. The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers in a Challenge Cup match at Sheffield Steelers last Saturday when he was reportedly struck in the throat by an opponent's skate, causing a fatal injury.
South Yorkshire Police have conducted inquiries at the arena, studied footage of the collision and spoken to experts, aided by Sheffield City Council's health and safety team. The Panthers, who called the incident a "freak accident", have invited fans of all clubs to attend Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena to celebrate the former NHL player on 4 November.
A statement from the Panthers said: "The Nottingham Panthers will come together on Saturday evening to remember Adam Johnson. Supporters of all clubs and the general public are invited to attend the Motorpoint Arena from 5:30pm to pay tribute to our number 47.
"The arena bowl will be open and people will be invited onto the ice, which will be carpeted, to sign books of condolence."
The Panthers have also announced the creation of an official fundraising page to raise money for the 'Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund' - established in Johnson's memory.
Following consultation with teams and players, a consensus was for matches to resume this weekend when "appropriate and fitting tributes" to Johnson will take place. PA Media
As for the men’s pro leagues, forget it. The National Hockey League (NHL), home of the world’s most elite professionals, has never mandated players to wear neck protectors. But accidents happen there too. In 1989, the Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk had his throat slashed by a skate during a game against the St Louis Blues after two players crashed his net. He received 300 stitches but returned to the ice within two weeks.
In 2008, Richard Zednik’s throat was accidentally cut by a Florida Panther teammate’s errant skate during a game against the Sabres. Zednik recovered, but missed the remainder of the season. In all that time, only two NHL players wore neck coverings of any kind. One was Tomas Plekanec, whose turtleneck earned him ridicule. The other was Wayne Gretzky.
By and large, the NHL and its players have been notoriously slow to adopt safety measures. They eschewed goalie masks for decades, gradually wore helmets only after a 1979 mandate was imposed and glacially adopted (and began abiding by) stricter rules for dangerous hits such as those to the head.
This resistance to safety lies partly in the NHL’s history and mindset, which is representative of a broader mentality in the sport, especially in North America. It is proud of the danger inherent in the game. Many of the most renowned players are vaunted for their grit as much as for their goals. Gordie Howe, the NHL’s most prolific scorer before Gretzky, inspired what is known as a “Gordie Howe hat-trick” – a goal, an assist and a fight.
Equipment has progressed, though. In recent years, undershirts with cut-resistant wrist areas, blade-stopping socks and compression pants that extend protection over the achilles tendon have become more popular at all levels, including the NHL, which has also seen incidents of lacerations of those vital body parts. Yet, even as players have carried this updated gear into the pro leagues, they abandon neck guards as soon as they can.
In 2020, Moritz Seider, now with the Detroit Red Wings, was playing in Sweden when a neck guard saved him from a potentially horrific skate laceration. Three years later, the dynamic NHL defenceman goes without one.
Since Sunday a collective rethinking on neck protection in the pro leagues has begun. On Monday a separate organisation, the English Ice Hockey Association, made neck guards mandatory as of next year. Meanwhile, the NHL’s deputy commissioner said on Tuesday that the league has been in touch with Marty Walsh, head of the NHL players’ union, on the topic, and that the NHL is “strongly recommending” cut-resistant equipment.
“It’s time for mandatory neck protection at every level in hockey. The risk is far too great not to,” Hayley Wickenheiser, the Canadian women’s hockey legend and Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager, posted on social media. On Wednesday Canada’s federal minister for sport also called for mandatory neck guards in the NHL and WHL.
“It’s not a cool look having neck guards on,” the Washington Capitals forward TJ Oshie, told The Athletic this week. Oshie is the founder of Warroad, a company specialising in protective hockey gear. Warroad sold out of its adult and youth tops with cut-resistant necks and wrists this week. It is a shirt Oshie has not worn on the ice to this point, but he has now ordered five of the turtleneck-style shirts for him and his teammates to try. Johnson’s death “makes me think twice about protecting myself and my neck out there,” he said. “Whether it looks cool or not.”
On Tuesday evening, the Pittsburgh Penguins held a tribute to Johnson before facing the Anaheim Ducks. As a video of Johnson’s rookie lap and first NHL goal with the Penguins (for whom he played 13 games) ran on the large screen above centre ice, players craned their unprotected necks skyward to watch.
Earlier that day, the Penguins’ head coach, Mike Sullivan, said the team will mandate neck guards for their American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League affiliates and that they will encourage their NHL players to wear them too.
“Why not?” the Penguins centre Jeff Carter told The Athletic. “We do it at every other level of hockey. We should have already been trying it. Shouldn’t have taken this long for something like this.”
• This article was amended on 1 and 2 November 2023. The incident happened on Saturday, not Sunday, and at an Elite Ice Hockey League game, not an English Ice Hockey Association game as an earlier version said.
