Just this past week, former National Hockey League (NHL) player Adam Johnson lost his life after his neck was sliced by a skate during a game in England.
What is referred to by the team as a “freak accident” occurred midway through the second period of an Elite Ice Hockey League game between Johnson’s Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers.
The devastating event was met with an outpouring of love and support from players across not only the English Ice Hockey Association, but the NHL and greater hockey community.
Moments of silence held around the NHL and the Penguins adding “AJ 47” decals to their helmets included multiple tributes this past week.
Twenty-seven-year-old Johnson joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization back in 2017, and later joined the Nottingham Panthers to play hockey internationally.
In the wake of the event, the English Ice Hockey Association has already said neck guards, which are usually recommended for hockey beginners, would now be mandatory for its players after Dec. 31.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL is strongly recommending the use of neck guards, as it explores the option of making it mandatory in the future.
Across the sport, this is not the first case of this incident occurring.
Last year, Teddy Balkind, a high school sophomore in Connecticut, died after suffering a cut to the neck during a collision. In 1989, goalkeeper Clint Malarchuk of the Buffalo Sabres had his neck cut during a game against the St. Louis Blues. He survived the collision at the goalmouth.
In professional hockey, things like neck guards are not mandated. However, players may choose to wear them in games. Across the board, many NHL goalies have chosen to wear neck guards after recalling the 1989 Malarchuk injury.
Yet for the average skater, it is not as popular.
Discourse on this issue has also trickled into death threats and hate messages being sent towards the player who collided with Johnson. But looking at this, it, to me, is clear this was not a targeted attempt.
In what is an unfortunate and tragic occurrence, the real question should not revolve around if he meant to kill Johnson, but rather, what can the hockey leagues do to minimize the chances of an occurrence like this to happen again.
Discussions in the greater community on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) have mentioned the uncomfortability of neck guards and their cumbersome fitting.
However, technology is constantly adapting and changing, resulting in new forms of neck guards like Kevlar turtleneck sweaters that amateur hockey players often favor. However, for the pros, many have complained that it makes them too hot.
T.J. Oshie of the Washington Capitals recently had designed turtleneck shirts with protective plastic inserts around the throat area in conjunction with his apparel company.
While they have not been debuted yet, Oshie told The Athletic recently that “he’s having some shipped to him and a handful of teammates so they can experiment with them.”
So with the new technology and modernization of the neck guard, it may be hard to argue against the use of them. While yes, it may feel uncomfortable for the average player who is not used to playing with one on, its value outweighs being uncomfortable for three periods of hockey.
It’s easy to call this a “freak accident” but it could be even worse to call it a “freak pattern” if these things continue to happen.
I think while the NHL will not make them mandatory outright, even in wake of this accident, many players will pop up on the ice with more safety precautions. So many players knew Johnson and loved him across the league that they may feel it’s time to wear something like that because it puts into perspective how anything can happen to anyone.
All around, this is not an intentional event. The hate being sent to the player who hit him with the skate should not face death threats or hate over an accident. It’s now up to the league to prevent those tragic accidents from happening again.
