Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti were among the four Winnipeg Jets players to wear neck protection during Wednesday’s practice at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ehlers, Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov and Rasmus Kupari all skated with neck guards as part of their collection of protective equipment as the Jets prepared to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday evening.
It remains to be seen whether those four players will wear the additional equipment during the game itself, which is slated to take place at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. ET (9:00 p.m. CT).
Those four Jets players have adopted neck protection in the wake of the tragic death of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson, whose neck was sliced open by an opponent’s skate in an Elite Ice Hockey League game in Britain this past weekend.
Johnson, who played for the Nottingham Panthers at the time of the incident, was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The Panthers will hold a gathering to remember Johnson this weekend.
Although a few NHL players have dealt with scary skate-related injuries in the past, none have died as a result. Most notably, Richard Zednik and Clint Malarchuk both narrowly escaped death after having their own throats cut by errant skate blades during games.
More recently, Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane missed a significant amount of time after having his wrist cut by a skate in a game last season.
The British Ice Hockey Association has now mandated neck protection at all levels beginning in 2024. The Pittsburgh Penguins organization has taken it a step further, requiring its players in the AHL and ECHL to wear neck and wrist protection.
Johnson, who was 29 when died, appeared in 13 NHL games with the Penguins during his career, collecting one goal and four points.
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