Over the weekend, USA Hockey officially voted to make neck guards a requirement at the youth level starting this summer.
“Any of the incidents that have happened over the last couple years have been terrible tragedies,” said Charles Wasilewski, pro shop manager at the Northford Ice Pavilion.
This past fall, former NHL player Adam Johnson was killed by the blade of a skate while playing overseas.
“Everybody thinks it might not happen, probably never happen to me,” said Albertus Magnus Hockey coach Kyle Wallack.
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Two years ago, a similar tragedy in Connecticut took the life of 16-year-old Teddy Balkind.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to those families, to be a part of that and Adam Johnson overseas. I think to be proactive is always a good thing,” Wallack said.
In the interest of safety, USA Hockey voted this past weekend to make changes.
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Starting Aug. 1, neck guards will be required for all players and on-ice referees under the age of 18. That same mandate will also include 19-year-old players at the boys, girls or junior level.
“It’s about the pressure of what people do in the locker room too, I think. If all the players are in and buying in just like a team winning out there on the ice, if everybody buys in on these items that you can wear to protect yourself better on the ice, I think it’s going to be a win for everybody,” Wasilewski said.
In Connecticut, organizations like the CIAC have required neck guards for decades. At the youth level, organizations like the Connecticut Hockey Conference have more recently created their own neck guard mandates in the wake of tragedy.
“There’s been some unfortunate incidents over the last couple years so I think it’s probably a good thing for all to respect that skate blades and other things are happening that we really don’t want in the game to protect the kids from the youth levels on up,” Wallack said.
Currently, not all youth hockey leagues in the state require neck guards to be worn, but that will change in Connecticut, and nationwide on Aug. 1.
