The International Ice Hockey Federation is mandating neck protection at all levels of IIHF competitions, it said in a statement Monday. The equipment mandated, neck laceration protectors, are “specifically designed for this purpose,” the IIHF said.
There are three age categories within the IIHF: U18, U20 and senior. Such protection was already enforced for the U18 and U20 categories, so the mandate makes neck laceration protectors required for the senior categories. This includes senior IIHF tournaments that NHL players can participate in, like the Olympics and world championships.
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The mandate does not yet have a date in which it will go into effect for the senior categories. That will be determined by the supply situation, the IIHF said.
“Until the rule officially goes into effect, the IIHF continues to strongly recommend that neck laceration protectors are worn by all players performing in an IIHF competition,” it said.
The IIHF Council, on recommendation from its Medical Committee, has decided to mandate the use of a neck laceration protector, specifically designed for this purpose, at all levels of IIHF competitions.
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— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 4, 2023
The mandate comes a little over a month after former NHL forward and Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson died after sustaining a serious cut to the neck from a skate after an on-ice collision during The Challenge Cup against the Sheffield Steelers. The game was stopped in the second period, after the collision, and fans were asked to leave the stadium. South Yorkshire Police officers arrived on scene alongside other emergency services. Johnson was later transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Johnson joined the Nottingham Panthers this summer to play in the EIHL, which has 10 franchises including teams in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.
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