IIHF mandating neck protection for all levels of competition
The world’s governing body of ice hockey is making sure all of its players are going to be protected.
On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that neck protection will be required to be worn across all sanctioned competitions.
The IIHF Council came to the decision following recommendation from its medical committee.
The IIHF Council, on recommendation from its Medical Committee, has decided to mandate the use of a neck laceration protector, specifically designed for this purpose, at all levels of IIHF competitions.
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— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 4, 2023
The move comes just two days after the organization ruled that all players competing in the World Junior Hockey Championships and Under-18 World Championships would be required to wear neck protection.
Now, players competing in the senior men’s and women’s tournaments will have to wear gear suited to protect from neck lacerations.
In a release, the IIHF says the exact date that the mandate will go into effect, for the senior divisions, will be based on the supply of the equipment. The governing body says they are in close contact with suppliers, making sure they are capable of producing for the excessive demand coming for the gear with the recent sanctions.
The IIHF also stated that until the rule is fully in effect, they continue to strongly encourage neck protection to be worn by its players competing in IIHF competition.
The men’s senior tournament in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia does not start until May 10, while the Women’s Worlds gets underway on April 3 in Utica, New York.
The rise in concern for the specialized equipment comes in the aftermath of an incident where former Pittsburgh Penguin Adam Johnson died after his neck was cut by a skate blade in an Elite Ice Hockey League game in late October.
Prepare to see a lot of neck guards being worn at various levels of the Men’s Under-20 World Championships, with tournaments in the lower divisions beginning next week in Hungary, Slovenia and Great Britain, prior to the World Juniors’ first game in Gothenburg, Sweden on Boxing Day.
All of the Women’s Under-18 world competition is set to begin in a month, including the top division starting play on Jan. 6 in Zug, Switzerland.