GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Youth hockey participants will soon be required to wear more protective gear when they go out on the ice following a new requirement by USA Hockey.
Owen Barber, a varsity hockey player with Forest Hills Central in Michigan, has been required to wear neck protection throughout his high school career, due to MHSAA rules.
But during his time in youth and travel leagues, Barber said the piece of equipment wasn’t used very often.
“You look better on the ice without a neck guard on, so I feel like that’s why people didn’t want to wear them. It’s so they can look better and feel more comfortable on the ice,” Barber said.
Neck guards will become a lot more common on Aug. 1, when a new USA Hockey rule takes effect that will mandate the protection for all junior hockey players and officials under the age of 18.
“It’s definitely going to be a different feel the first couple times you wear it,” Barber said. “But I feel like at the end of day you’ll get used to it.”
A neck guard to be worn while playing hockey. (Nov. 10, 2023)
The change comes just months after American hockey player Adam Johnson died after taking a skate to the neck. Some players say these types of incidents weigh heavily on them.
“It’s something that can happen even when you’re just messing around at a pickup, at a public skate. You never know when it’s going to happen. Those critical areas of your body, your neck, your wrist, your ankle, they’re all exposed,” said Mason Coletta, hockey player and employee at Howies Hockey Tape.
Coletta said dangerous incidents show why extra layers of protection are crucial.
“Hopefully within 5-10 years it’s just as mandatory as a helmet. No one even bats an eye when you put a neck guard on and I’m hoping it catches in the adult leagues as well,” Coletta said.
Barber said he also believes that the neck guard requirement will be beneficial “to keep playing the sport that we like,” Barber said.
Coletta added that the injuries caused by skates and the mandate are sort of a wake-up call.
“A bunch of companies are doing whatever they can to prevent it from happening in the future and unfortunately, that’s what it took. Hopefully this mandate gets people to listen and hopefully these injuries, we’ll start to see go down,” Coletta said.
The mandate will impact practices and games.
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