Regina Pats’ players and coaching staff are in full support of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) decision to make neck protection mandatory for all players following the tragic death of a player in the United Kingdom.
Adam Johnson, 29, passed away from injuries he sustained when a skate blade slashed his throat during a game between the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the WHL said that neck protection will be mandatory for all players effective Friday.
Players will be required to wear the protection for both games and practice, the WHL said in its statement.
Pats assistant captain Parker Berge said it’s a good thing the league is implementing the change now.
“I know I’ve seen a couple of different incidents throughout the years and obviously that was a very terrible accident that happened,” Berge said.
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For Berge, he feels adding an extra piece of equipment is not something that will be a distraction for him on the ice.
“I don’t think it’s very restricting or anything, it’s just kind of there,” he said.
Pats’ captain Tanner Howe echoed Berge’s comments, adding that what happened is something many players just don’t think about too much.
“You never want it to happen, but I mean, when it does it shocks you so much and it’s something you never want to see, but really [before neck guards] you just don’t think about something like that too much,” Howe said.
For head coach Brad Herauf, who has been around the game at a high level since he played for the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins beginning in 1999, the fatal incident is something beyond what he has ever seen.
“I’ve never seen an incident like that in all my days playing hockey and coaching. It was just one of those things like getting struck by lightning and it’s very unfortunate what happened,” Herauf said.
Herauf added that he feels it’s a great avenue the WHL is taking by making neck protection mandatory and something he feels will help prevent future tragedies from happening again.
Canada’s two other major junior hockey leagues, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as Hockey Canada had already made neck protection mandatory before Johnson’s death.
The incident that took Johnson’s life is something that has been seen in the game of hockey before at a high level albeit never fatal.
In 1989, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk had his throat cut by a skate and suffered a life-threatening injury. Then in 2008, Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik had his throat inadvertently slashed by a teammate’s skate which also resuled in a life-threatening injury.
Both Malarchuk and Zednik survived.
-- With files from Brit Dort.
