Former NHLer T.J. Oshie discusses the challenges of getting players to wear neck guards

In the wake of the on-ice death of Adam Johnson, former NHL star T.J. Oshie embarked on a mission toward increasing usage of neck guards to keep players safe.

He used his company Warroad as a means to develop more comfortable, fashionable neck guards that would both provide great protection and be more desirable for players. He even began wearing one himself toward the end of his career.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by Oshie to share his thoughts on why adaptation of the devices has not been higher in the NHL.

Tyler Yaremchuk: You talked about neck protection… obviously there’s been a couple tragedies in the hockey world over the last four-five seasons here, and I was struggling with how I want to ask you about this, but how much of a battle is it for your company when it comes to getting guys at the pro level to wear this stuff? Style is such a big thing… I remember at the World Juniors guys used to roll their neck guards up real thin because you don’t even want to be seen wearing one. How much of a battle is that, getting guys to accept that protecting your neck is more important than looking cool?

T.J. Oshie: I did the same thing. I would roll that thing up when I was a kid… I’m super fortunate to have really good partners that have been in the textile space for 25-plus years, and so they’re off all over the world looking for the right materials. I just want to make it as comfortable as possible. Breathable, but still super protective. Honestly, when I saw the video of Adam Larsson… You see that, and I knew I was at the end of my career, and I was like… I made this for the kids. I made it as good as I could do it… I just threw it on for one pregame skate… and it actually, the neck guard actually was 1. super comfortable, but 2. it made it so that I didn’t have my jersey rubbing around my neck anymore. I think the more people that wear it, and especially the more star players that wear it… I think that’s really all it takes.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…