WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – This story contains mention of gore.
An unexpected horror scene unfolded during an Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) game between the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers at Utilita Arena in Sheffield, U.K. on Oct. 28.
Canadian international student and hockey fan Ben George recalls the incident vividly. He was taking in the game with his Leeds University Gryphons hockey teammates.
“It took me two or three days to get the image out of my head. It was pretty traumatic,” George said. “I’ve never seen so much blood before.”
George was among thousands of fans who watched helplessly as medical staff attempted in vain to revive 29-year-old professional hockey player Adam Johnson after a skate blade cut his neck. Johnson was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
“It was scary,” George said. “A lot of people were crying and everyone was quiet.”
With such a harsh reminder of the potential dangers of the sport, the incident has called the hockey community’s safety commitments into question.
Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body in Canada, said in a statement it “strongly encourages the use of neck guards for all participants regardless of age, including members of its national teams.”
While neck protection is mandatory for all minor and female hockey players in Canada, it isn’t mandated by most major junior, amateur and professional leagues.
USA Hockey, which governs the sport in the U.S., said in a statement it still only “recommends that all players wear a neck laceration protector, choosing a design that covers as much of the neck area as possible.”
Former NHLer Tim Higgins said he firmly believes something needs to be done.
“Now is a great time to start the process to make sure that generations to come will have that protection.”
Tim Higgins, former NHL forward
“As somebody who grew up with the game and played professionally, to see someone die from something that is preventable is shocking,” he said.
As with any organized sport, player safety is supposed to be the first priority, but hockey has a history of unsafe and illogical safety practices. In many ways, the hockey world has already gone through this safety debate with helmets.
Higgins recalled wearing a helmet in minor hockey, but outside pressure and superstition influenced him to take it off once he turned pro.
Higgins’ 1978-79 rookie campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks was the final year players could choose to play without a helmet. The following year, the NHL made helmets mandatory for all incoming players.
Higgins said he instinctually chose to wear a helmet for the start of the season, as he had during his whole hockey career. But when he failed to score a goal in his first several games, he decided to try his luck without one.
“Superstitiously, I say ‘Well, I haven’t scored yet, so I think I’ll take my helmet off and see if that changes anything,’” he said. “Superstition is a big thing in hockey.”
For six years, Higgins played in the NHL without a helmet.
“That’s like driving around without a seatbelt,” Higgins said. “Why would you not [wear] it?”
Higgins recalled a scary incident from a 1986 NHL game at Joe Louis Arena between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs that revived the conversation surrounding player safety.
During a second period pile-up in Toronto’s crease, Higgins’ teammate Gerard Gallant accidentally stepped on Maple Leafs star Borje Salming’s face with his skate, necessitating hundreds of stitches.
“There were a lot of near-misses,” Higgins said. “I’m surprised that more guys weren’t cut. You have no control over a falling body.”
“I had concussions, I had gashes on my head and now I’m looking at it and I think, ‘was I ever stupid not to wear that helmet,’” he said.
Higgins said he thinks a similar reckoning is underway with neck protection.
“Now is a great time to start the process to make sure that generations to come will have that protection,” he said.
Following the incident in England, Ontario University Athletics (OUA), the Western Hockey League and the EIHL have all announced mandates for the use of neck protection. In the OUA, neck protection is now just another common-sense piece of safety equipment.
“It’s good, that’s the rule and we’ll abide by it,” said Shaun Van Allen, head coach of the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team and former NHLer.
Meanwhile, the NHL has responded slowly to the tragedy. The league noted it is not in a position to mandate the use of neck protection, as it is ultimately up to the players to decide.
“It’s sort of like the white elephant and nobody wants to address it,” Higgins said. “The process is slower than it should be.”
Higgins said he believes the change will be gradual as the protection becomes more normalized among players. In his professional hockey days, he said many players voluntarily wore turtlenecks as rinks were generally colder than today.
“If you’re already wearing a turtleneck, why wouldn’t you have the neck protection in there?”
George said another incident may need to happen in the NHL for the league to take further action.
“It sounds terrible to say but if someone dying in the No. 1 league in England doesn’t change anything for [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman […] I think it would take something like that in [the NHL] for that change to happen.”
Although the lack of an immediate response may be discouraging, the development of protective equipment throughout hockey history shows a trend of incremental safety improvements.
Higgins remembers when both helmets and facial protection were completely optional and even frowned upon in hockey. Today, it’s difficult to imagine players without them.
Neck protection may parallel the mandating of facial protection in hockey. In its 2013-14 season, the NHL grandfathered in the use of visors for players with less than 25 games of experience. A similar rule could be in the NHL’s future.
“You think about the negatives of making them mandatory and it’s just not that big of a list,” George said. “There isn’t really a debate.”
“It’s gonna save your life.”
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji/the Charlatan.
