DEL
Safer with neck protection: Accidental death is changing ice hockey
Some national players already wore neck protection at the Germany Cup. photo
© Christian Kolbert/dpa
The tragic death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson led to quick improvements to the rules. The world association and the German Ice Hockey Association are taking a little longer.
Christian Künast was amazed at the neck protection worn by national ice hockey player Tobias Rieder. The sports director of the German Ice Hockey Association was visibly surprised by the perfectly integrated protective clothing of the striker, who plays in the Swedish league.
“I’ve never seen that before,” explained the former goalkeeper at the recent Germany Cup in Landshut. Rieder is already well protected. In the German Ice Hockey League (DEL), the neck protection requirement will come on January 1st, 2024. The IIHF World Association and also the DEB are still taking some time.
The accidental death of professional Adam Johnson at the end of October prompted the ice hockey world to act quickly. The American was killed by a cut on his neck from an ice skate blade during a game between his Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers at the end of October. The rules were quickly changed. “It is a sad occasion, but the discussion produced a good result,” said DEL managing director Gernot Tripcke.
Clear guidelines
The 14 clubs from the DEL have to react at almost record speed. From January it will be mandatory for all DEL players and referees to wear cut-proof neck protection. There are clear guidelines for neck protection. For example, it must have ISO certifications. The cut-resistant model over the neck and nape must also be made of Kevlar fibers.
Axel Alavaara, manager of Adler Mannheim, had already arranged neck protection for all Adler professionals shortly after the tragic accident. Many DEL players already wear protection, even if it restricts their movement somewhat. “Ultimately, these are all things you get used to. If you wear it a few times, then I don’t think it’s a problem and you get used to it very quickly,” said Oliver Mebus from Düsseldorfer EG to “Deutschlandfunk”. “It’s such a small thing that can protect our players. We don’t want to experience something like that again in ice hockey,” added the Swede Alavaara.
Neck protection has been mandatory in Sweden for years. A similar incident over 20 years ago caused a rethink in the ice hockey nation. Rieder benefits from this and wears protective clothing for the Växjö Lakers that has been developed over the years. Finland had also previously followed suit. In Germany, neck protection has been mandatory for youth in all age groups for several years. Now the senior leagues follow.
Not mandatory everywhere yet
However, the world association is still taking some time. “Everyone should be safe at the next World Cup,” emphasized IIHF President Luc Tardif. It will take place in the Czech Republic next May. Tardif wants to avoid a quick shot. There has already been a meeting with medical experts and referees. “We tried to make decisions quickly. We don’t want to do it in a hurry. Because you need good protection,” he emphasized. “So we have to make sure that this protection has a guarantee. Then we have to organize the rules.”
This is also what the DEB argues. Only at the start of the 2024/25 season will wearing neck and neck protection become compulsory in the leagues run by the DEB, such as the DEL2. “This should ensure that possible delivery bottlenecks are avoided,” said sports director Künast. The association is currently making a “recommendation” regarding protective clothing.
Even the NHL is thinking about modifying the rules. “Whether it’s something that will be mandated directly or something that will be phased in, we’ll talk to the players’ union about that,” NHL boss Gary Bettman announced.