The ice became stained red on the night of Oct. 28.
Twenty-nine-year-old Adam Johnson bled to death due to taking an ice skate to the neck.
Ice skates can be weapons and accidents occur constantly in the sport. Adam Johnson was not the only player to suffer from an injury like this.
In 1989, Clint Malarchuk, a goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, had to have three hundred stitches in his neck from a 6-inch cut made with an ice skate.
Again, in 2008, Richard Zednick, a forward for the Florida Panthers, had an almost fatal incident, including the same injury caused by a teammate.
Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) is now considering requiring all players to wear a neck guard. However, in the United States, they are not enforcing this. The players may wear them if they like, but it is not required.
The neck guards are made of a material called Kevlar, which is the same material used in bulletproof vests.
These pieces of equipment could save someone’s life in the future.
“I think if we can do anything to prevent injury in hockey, we should, in any sport really,” Tim Keifer said.
I agree that if there is protection that can help with players’ health and safety while playing the sport they love, it should be used.
The neckguards do not affect the game at all, so I do not see why it is a problem to have them.
Yes, they may be uncomfortable for the players, but it is more comfortable than taking a skate to the jugular.
However, it should not have taken this many accidents to have them finally do something about it.
This type of protection should be mandatory due to how brutal the sport is.
Players skating at high speeds with razor blades on their feet can be dangerous. Johnson’s death was named a freak accident.
He is one of four who have died due to this traumatic casualty.
The United States. should make our youth hockey teams wear these. Practice may be extreme but, at the very minimum, require them at a game. That is when more accidents occur. According to UPMC, ice hockey is the secondnd leading winter sport for youth injuries.
“I think neck guards are necessary in games,” Garret Hall said.
Hockey is a brutal sport on its own. When spectating a game, there are often fights that originated as arguments where the referees have to separate them. It is just a generally dangerous sport due to the hard ice, the thin metal players are skating on and the carbon fiber stick they use.
The goalie, especially, is in a dangerous spot. A slapshot in hockey can be hit at 100 miles per hour.
The goalie has to have that puck flying at their face. That is why they have to wear all the protective gear. They can hide behind their leg guards because of this.
