Mandatory Neck Guards?

[Phish12]

Wondering what people's thoughts are on neck guards. I know most Canadian youth programs now mandate the use of neck guards. Even the OHL does. I also noted that in the World Juniors the Canadian team wore them. I'm sure most recall the scary scene in the NHL a while back where Richard Zednick nearly died from a skate to the throat. Shouldn't we mandate these simple pieces of equipment? Would be a pretty simple thing to do. I see Itech has come out with an Under Armour-type shirt with the neck guard built in. http://www.hockeymonkey.com/itech-hocke ... r-yth.html

Better safe than sorry with neck guards?

[Pens4]

Neck guards are mandatory in District 6.

[Bronc]

Wondering what people's thoughts are on neck guards. I know most Canadian youth programs now mandate the use of neck guards. Even the OHL does. I also noted that in the World Juniors the Canadian team wore them. I'm sure most recall the scary scene in the NHL a while back where Richard Zednick nearly died from a skate to the throat. Shouldn't we mandate these simple pieces of equipment? Would be a pretty simple thing to do. I see Itech has come out with an Under Armour-type shirt with the neck guard built in. http://www.hockeymonkey.com/itech-hocke ... r-yth.html

Better safe than sorry with neck guards?

If parents want their children to wear them, they should require it.

I don't see a problem, but haven't heard of a great deal (or any accidents in the youth levels)of risk/reward out there regarding this either.

Enough rules in place, parents should have the final say if they find necessary.

[nmnhockeydad]

As a hockey parent and an EMT, I feel that mandating neck guards is one of the prime safety issues that associations and hockey need to address. For the more advanced levels, the speed and size of players has increased so much that a stick or puck to the throat has become as much of a threat as a skate to the neck. The younger and/or less advanced levels have players who have not yet mastered control of their bodies without skates, let alone on a pair of skates sliding down the ice. Although in my 15 years of working hockey tournaments I have not seen a skate to the throat, I have seen numerous injuries to the neck and throat that could have been avoided with neck guards. The pain and suffering of a neck injury is great but so is the trauma to the other player who has to deal with the fact that it was his/her skate or stick that injured another. I feel that unless it is mandated, it will continue to be one of those "back burner" issues that should be dealt with.

[OntheEdge]

As a hockey parent and an EMT, I feel that mandating neck guards is one of the prime safety issues that associations and hockey need to address. For the more advanced levels, the speed and size of players has increased so much that a stick or puck to the throat has become as much of a threat as a skate to the neck. The younger and/or less advanced levels have players who have not yet mastered control of their bodies without skates, let alone on a pair of skates sliding down the ice. Although in my 15 years of working hockey tournaments I have not seen a skate to the throat, I have seen numerous injuries to the neck and throat that could have been avoided with neck guards. The pain and suffering of a neck injury is great but so is the trauma to the other player who has to deal with the fact that it was his/her skate or stick that injured another. I feel that unless it is mandated, it will continue to be one of those "back burner" issues that should be dealt with.

I agree. I have seen a skate to the throat a couple of times. There wasn't the profuse bleeding that we see in the pros but its very scary when it happens.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Absolute waste of money. They do not protect from a skate laceration only create an illusion of protection.