Should Neck Guards be Mandatory for all Hockey players? 

not raising your skates on purpose into another players body/neck should be mandatory.

Why they haven’t been mandatory since Malarchuk is beyond me.

As someone who has had a wrist cut open by a skate that is far more dull than ones they would use in hockey, they would need a strong material to be able to stop a forceful skate. I've never been cut by anything as smoothly as I have that skate, and it took 5 minutes before I even realized I was cut and it was the blood that alerted me. I do think something needs to be done to prevent accidents like this, but it will not be easy to stop a skate.

Neckgurds wasn’t the problem. It was buddy doing the donkey kick to Johnson’s beck that did him in.

Rip to a real one… so sad what happened

The worst part about his death in my opinion, is the fact that when his girlfriend was going through his stuff after his death, she found a ring...

We absolutely should. They can be thin and flexible but still protect you

The saddest thing is this happened to a goalie and a high school player before. The goalie survived but the high schooler died. There are also other examples in other places. We need to mandate neck guards. #MandateNeckGuards

As a kid they were always mandatory. At what point did we decide our necks were strong enough to take a skate blade?

These people who are saying “you shouldn’t have to wear neck guards because you should be banning lifting your your leg to hit someone” are people who clearly don’t understand that just because something is banned doesn’t mean someone will risk their life to kick someone with their blade but having that neck guard can help prevent you being severely injured

Rest in Peace adam Johnson

Well ... I guess if opponents come at you with a karate kick to the neck with the obvious intention of severing ones jugular vein with their super sharp skate...... ya neck guards are necessary .

As someone who was 15 feet away from Adam (I have seoson tickets 3 rows behind the closest penalty box to Adam,.) when it happened I can say it wasn't on purpose MP got hit and lost his balance and when your on skates it's hard to balance. It really pisses me off that people actually think it was on purpose. I see no way they could charge MP for anything without an angry mob of Sheffield fans turning up at the police station.

His life wasn't lost, it was taken.

I’m from Hibbing Minnesota where he grew up and he was the nicest guy ever😓😓💔

Farewell even as a capitals fan this is one of the saddest things to happen 😢😢

Rip Adam Johnson and terribly sorry to mark he really doesn't deserve this conflict

Authorities confiscated the skates as evidence. Probably going to prison.

I really don't understand why people think neck guards in the nhl are stupid. I used to wear an athletic shirt with a neck guard collar underneath my gear that was extremely comfortable and I hardly noticed it while playing. They keep the players safer and help keep these scary life threatening neck cuts from happening again.

Shit was intentional, that mulingion needs to rot in jail

And then just recently, an 11 year old in Quebec was killed by a puck to the neck. Those neck guards should be mandatory, and thick enough to prevent collapsed airways from shots.

Absolutely, I’m 12 and USA hockey has not made them mandatory. But after my dad told me that he said that he is making me wear one or I’m not playing hockey

As a fellow Sheffielder when you said Nottingham 😂😂

Them neck guards cant stop that skate blade. That POS purposely kicked Adam Johnson and should be put in jail.

I’ve heard that the whl has made neck guards mandatory. And last night I went to watch my local echl team play and half the players on the team were wearing neck guards

I was honestly surprised earlier when I found out that they're not mandatory. They're a really simple piece of equipment that can completely prevent death or even serious injuries.

new fear unlocked

I think everything under Bantam should be mandatory, but upper levels they should be optional but strongly advised

Bye Adam 😢

Here’s what I’d do: Neck guards mandatory for all NEW players, if you played without one before the rule was made, you don’t have to Similar to the helmet rule, and the visor rule

I was born in 2003, I’ve worn a neck guard for every single hockey game I’ve ever played in. I will never EVER decide to remove it unless it is restricting my ability to breath; then I’ll need a bigger neck guard. Just last year I was playing in Coquitlam and I got cross checked in the throat, if I didn’t have my neck guard I don’t think I would have been able to play for a while. It seems so stupid to me that professionals don’t wear them at all, when I first saw the Malarchuck incident in Buffalo from a highlight reel, it made me even more confused as to why players wouldn’t wear neck guards. The most likely way that would happen is if you were on the ice and a skate brushes your throat as you lay there or you get stepped on or kicked in a scrum. Please wear neck guards.

Rip Adam. The hockey universe will never be the same without you. Fly high king 💔🕊️

RIP❤Just a horrifying incident and prayers go out to his family

it's amazing the number of people who have never played hockey and who claim this is manslaughter. if you had ever played hockey you'd realize how implausible this is .

I thought that was the Bill Clinton kid in the thumbnail lmao 💀💀💀💀

Or just ban and arrest players who kick people in the neck maybe.

My maths teacher Jon fearnley was commenting for the Sheffield team he was shocked but the mad lad got back to teaching straight after still it’s sad that guy died

Rest in peace my man. Despite being a kraken/silvertips fan, this hurts a lot. Rest in peace man. Know you have now made the first step of making the NHL a safer league to play in.

it’s crazy that a death is what it takes for people to realize necks guards should be required.

This reminds me of the halo in F1. No one wanted them at first, until they started saving lives, now everyone loves it and think they don’t even look bad, as they used to say. They should definitely look into at least some kind of protection, comfortable to wear and making a blade to the throat be more of a blunt hit than a slashing one.

Why are people obsessed with forcing grown men to protect themselves? You wanna wear it wear it, if you don’t you don’t.

I’m a goalie and I don’t have a big say in this but we should wear neck guards it may not seem tough to but it saves life if it’s not tough to save lives idk what is

That was on purpose not an incident no way

it’s not like wearing it makes it harder to play🤷‍♂️ its aint obstructing ur vision, it’s a sport. not worth losing your life.. RIP Adam Johnson.

No neck guards. Just arrest the only person that has only ever drop kicked another player.

They should because your neck is extremely important to protect and one slip up and your life is gone

I have never watched hockey but I feel so bad for what happened to him. I think the person who did it should be put in jail. R.I.P. to Adam Johnson.

It should have been since Clint Malarchuk.

Kicking someone with skates on should be illegal

Tomas Plekanec always wore it!

Generally, exceptions shouldn't make rules. Countless nhl games have been played with only 3 players having been cut in the neck, and 2 surviving. Whereas guys get hit in the head regularly, so helmets are now mandatory.

The player that killed him got a standing ovation during his next home game. Disgusting.

"Lost"?!??? He was MURDERED!!

In Sweden it’s illegal to not wear it

I just heard about this the other night and was so devastated that this happened. I obviously think neck guards should be mandatory for a NHL players and not just lower levels. RIP Adam Johnson.

We left flowers in Belfast and Yes neck guards should be mandatory

Hockey has been played for over 100 years and this is the first time an incident like this has occurred. It was not a regular hockey play gone wrong. It was a blatant effort to injure. I think this is a knee jerk reaction.

Neck guards are not only safe but look good

Why isn't one talking about how dude was kicked on purpose? It was murder. How about doing something about that!

Neck guards in thin layers of kevlar do wonders it protects againgst all slash wounds and whit a bit of plastic it protects against crush injuries too.

That was a vicious, and deliberate hit. Legs don't fly that way, unless you make them.

Idk about now but couple years ago when I still played I used my skate on my old neck gaurd to see how durable it was. It sliced almost immediately, was expecting more for it being a top tier one

How about we just dont let dirty players play hockey? The dude practically kicked him in the neck.

Probably not, but what should be mandatory is life in prison for the guy that did this, raising your skate 4 feet in the air and doing a kick like you’re Bruce Lee is murder

Tough one, it happens but is rare. Seems in this case there was at least some intentionality. When I heard about this, I thought the player must have been on the ice, seeing the video I was shocked.

Bro the kick had have been intentional

No. They shouldn’t. Raising your skate should

They’re adults. After this tragedy, they now fully understand the risks and can make their own decisions.

It pissed me off how the guy who did it is not only not charged with manslaughter , but is actually having people feel sorry for him …. That’s like feeling sorry for a drunk driver. No shit he didn’t intend to end a life or even harm anyone. But his reckless decision and behaviour lead to it and it’s HIS fault. Idc how harsh that is. People like that need to be held accountable. I can’t help but think about days before Zegras got hit hard and out of embarrassment he throw his skate up so high it was at the guys head. Nobody even like 14-15 years old who has been playing their whole life like any nhl player , can be hit without throwing their feet up like that. It’s not hard at all to not do it. It comes from flailing like a child out of frustration. If Zegras was held accountable for not caring about somebody else’s life , maybe Adam would still have his as stuff like that is bigger than the nhl. I just don’t think so soon after a star being penalized heavily for a stupid act , would that guy do the same thing. I just hate how backhanded todays world is.

Neck guards cannot stop crimes from being committed

If they’re going to be subtle like that, absolutely

Dude was murdered on the Ice .... Will a neck guard stop someone from maliciously slicing someone's throat?

USA Hockey regulations have made neck guards mandatory this August so

Is no one gonna talk about the fact that it was murder? It was not an accident, it was murder.

The player that killed him should’ve never lifted his leg because he tripped on a stick which was not intentional but the kick was

Murder should be in prison

Malmö redhawks in shl had an silent minute for him too as he played there for a bit.

RIP

Neck guards are mandatory in youth hockey leagues, high school and should be worn by all hockey players no matter what level. My boys wore them from YHL level through high school.

Mandatory at every level under 18, strongly encouraged afterwards. They are adults and can make their own decisions.

no, it wasnt an accident. it was fricking murder. the killer literally did a flying kick to his face on purpose, not to mention that the murder was one of if not the most penalized players that season. that says something about this second-degree murder case. the family of mister johnson needs to press charges and teach this dirty player a lesson in jail.

Bro I play hockey, and I’m scared and sad because he was my fav player😮😢🙏 and the blood on the ice was insane

Watcing this after gaudreau's death is so sad

I bought mine, I pulled out of my Sunday game. I refuse to step on ice until I have it delivered. I don’t care how “goofy” or “dusty” it looks

I only really pay attention to extreme sports where deaths are fairly common. I’ve been an adrenaline junkie since I was a little kid. It always just seems strange to me when people want to overhaul a whole league because of one death. I’m used to the thought process of “damn, another one, rip, things will continue as normal”. I’ve had that thought about people I personally knew. But I guess it’s all just perspective

We not gonna talk aout the dude who commited manslaughter because he wanted to be a dick and kick Johnson in the chest but aimed too high.

This was a tragic ACCIDENT. I don’t think the other player deserves to go to jail. If you’ve ever played hockey before you understand how easy it is for your leg to go up that high when you lose your balance. Hell, I’ve fallen backwards or gotten checked so hard i saw my own skates go up that high. The people who think he did this on purpose are insane.

I wore one when I was playing goalie in beer league hockey. Malarchuk and Zegras factored into that decision.

F that "let's just wear them" my senior year of high school in New Jersey they started forcing us to play with some type of turtle neck and it was the worst piece of "equipment" I was ever forced to wear. This is such a freak and rare event but what's next? Replace skates with roller blades?

As a Short Track Speed Skater, hockey neck guards are mandatory for us for THAT EXACT REASON!!! Why they're not mandatory in Hockey I dont know why... Wayne Gretzky had one on!!

You would think after 2 players prior to this have had their neck sliced open by a skate that they would mandate neck guards Yes the prior two were both goalies but the position shouldn’t matter In my opinion, this death was very avoidable and very tragic

Ugh, I HATED wearing a neck guard whilst I was a winger as a kid. But when I switched and stayed as a goalie, I knew it was necessary. Like the helmet on your bike. I used to leave the apartment with it, but would leave it at some elderly ladies place on the first floor and just pick it up upon returning. My mom never knew lol.

neck guards should not become mandatory. The amount of times this has happened is not enough to constitute it.

Everyone should know this but I’ll clear it up if not, so bassicly Adam Johnson didn’t die on impact he was bleeding out and skated off the ice and got rushed to the hospital and idk how long it was but after some time he took his last breath

F your neck guard. I've played my whole life and that's a stupid idea. Want my solution, don't let some absolute goon idiot go around the league kicking people in the face like their Jean Claude van daM. Why do some people's immediate thoughts when something bad happens always go to more control and power over everyone doing things the right way instead of looking at the person who is actually to blame.

Put the damn thing on. Nice and simple

Yes, they should have been mandatory since that one incident were the goalie was cut in the throat. Before I moved to where I am now we had to wear Nick protesters or we would be penalized for like 10 minutes. Now where I live now the don’t care about it they only care about the mouth guards.

I always said the same things as things have changed... players should be able to make their own choices, they shouldn't be forced. I thought the same thing with Helmets, etc.

I will wear a neck guard, when the guy who literally jump kicked someone, with skates on his feet, is held accountable! When people who can’t even skate, want to mandate neck guards, so they don’t have to face that fact.

I was crying when i heard 😭🫶🏻we miss you Johnson❤️