IIHF Announces Mandatory Neck Guards for Winter Olympics

The International Ice Hockey Federation has officially made neck guards mandatory for hockey players participating in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Per the most recent collective bargaining agreement, new NHL players will be required to wear neck guards beginning next season. Players who have played at least one game in the NHL prior to the 2025-2026 season are not subject to the rule. It's the latest precaution in a sport that comes with high physical risk.

Incidents Leading to the Change

The announcement was preceded by the tragic death of Adam Johnson, which occured on October 28, 2023. 29-year-old Johnson, a center for the Nottingham Panthers of the British EIHL (Elite Ice Hockey League), was playing against the Sheffield Steelers when he collided with Steelers left wing Matt Petgrave 35 minutes into the match.

Petgrave's left skate sliced Johnson's throat, resulting in heavy bleeding and an immediate stop to the game. The 8,000 spectators were sent home, and Johnson was later pronounced dead at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. The league suspended games the following day in response to the incident.

Sep 19, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Adam Johnson (47) during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images | Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

One year after Johnson's shocking death, Panthers assistant coach Kevin Moore shared warm memories of the young player.

“Adam was such a kind, fun and generous person and a lot of the young players on that team looked up to him," Moore said. "He was really good to them and there were reminders everywhere. We had to keep the group really connected because it was incredibly important to make sure they were giving their hearts to each other."

“We all had gone through something together and we could lean on each other that way. It really was step by step. Our jobs, and those of our players, were public and we were publicly performing while grieving, which is an incredibly hard thing to do."

In 1989, a similar incident resulted in a life-threatening injury to then-Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk, whose carotid artery was severed and whose jugular vein was partially severed by an opponent's skate. Malarchuk managed to survive the notorious incident.

How many current players will adopt the new safety precaution remains to be seen. It may take immediate, with players adopting the new item in solidarity with the younger generation, or we may see some Jacques Plante-esque figures emerge.

Among the first hockey players to regularly wear a goalie mask during regulation play play, Plante and players like him have made hockey safer by example. The future of the sport depends on sustainability and safety amid the requisite toughness, and the move is a step in that direction.

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