Pittsburgh Penguins MANDATE usage of neck guards for minor league teams following the tragic demise of Ex-forward Adam Johnson

The Pittsburgh Penguins are making the wearing of neckguards mandatory for their minor league teams following the tragic passing of their former player, Adam Johson.

Pittsburgh Penguins MANDATE usage of neck guards for minor league teams following the tragic demise of Ex-forward Adam Johnson

Mike Sullivan (L) and Adam Johnson (R) [Pic Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Imago]

The shocking death of Adam Johnson, a former NHLer, has left everyone stunned. The ex-Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward was involved in an unfortunate clash with Matt Petgrave.

This “freak accident” saw Petgrave’s skate hit the neck of Johnson, resulting in it cutting open. This led to his untimely death. This has encouraged the Penguins to mandate the use of neck guards for their minor league teams.

YouTube video

Johnson’s tragic passing has left the sport with many unanswered questions. As per users on social media, the wearing of neck guards is mandatory in Sweden, and players who do not follow this are fined. The Penguins are now making this rule compulsory for their minor affiliates.

FS Video

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has now informed fans that both the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Penguins and their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, will start wearing neck guards as a precautionary measure.

As a league, we can work toward developing just more options for guys in the protective department with respect to these areas. Hopefully, there will be an initiative here moving forward.
Mike Sullivan via Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Will the NHL implement some new rules to protect players?

Following the incident regarding the death of Adam Johnson, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) announced a change in players. They have made neckguards mandatory for players from here on. Seeing this development, the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to do the same for their minor league team. However, there has been no development from the NHL so far.

Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson while playing for the Penguins (Pic Credit: Imago)

The Penguins cannot start wearing this themselves until there is approval from the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA). This body is responsible for ensuring the safety of the player, along with the player safety department. Given the current circumstances, the league could see some changes in rules and neck guards being made mandatory.

According to reports, the NHL’s top officials, including Gary Bettman, have started a conversation regarding this. How long will it take to implement it? The final decision could take another few days and rounds of discussion before anything new is introduced in the ongoing season.

Another topic of discussion is whether this move could have come earlier. Given the current state of the league and the fights that erupt during the league, the NHL could have adopted this formula before. The death of Johnson has now given the league and their organizers massive topics to think about, with the major one being player safety.

In case you missed it: