Saturday, November 11, 2023
TO: USA Hockey Members
SUBJECT: Board of Directors Action
At its meeting today, the USA Hockey Board of Directors unanimously voted to request the USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee begin the process of recommending potential rule changes regarding neck laceration protection. The intention of this effort is to advance solutions that best serve all of our members.
Any potential rule change proposal(s) could be addressed as early as USA Hockey's Winter Meeting in January.
USA Hockey continues to recommend that all players wear a neck laceration protector that covers as much of the neck area as possible, in addition to cut-resistant socks, sleeves or undergarments.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Player safety is the top priority of USA Hockey each and every day. With the recent tragic passing of professional hockey player Adam Johnson that involved a neck laceration from a skate blade, we have received numerous questions about neck guards.
USA Hockey is regularly engaged in research and works with equipment companies to help ensure the safest possible environment for ice hockey. Support from The USA Hockey Foundation has fostered research on neck laceration protection in order to better understand the risk of skate blade lacerations, the performance of commercially available neck guards and the quest for both better designs and material properties.
The USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee, under the guidance of Dr. Michael J. Stuart, committee chair and chief medical and safety officer, has addressed some of the most common questions/concerns we have received below.
USA Hockey will continue to evaluate whether to require cut-resistant protective equipment for the neck, arms and legs and utilize the guidance of its Safety and Protective Equipment Committee and other subject matter experts in its on-going assessment. To learn more about USA Hockey player safety, click here.
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