The passing of Adam Johnson has led many teams and leagues to re-evaluate their approach to safety equipment. Today one NHL team has made a massive announcement in the name of player safety.
First NHL Team Mandates Neck Guards
Today it was announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be the first team to mandate neck guards for their players. The mandate will only affect the AHL and ECHL while NHL players will be recommended highly to wear them.
Per Mike Sullivan, the Penguins will mandate neck protection for their AHL and ECHL teams.
No hard mandate can be made at the NHL level but they will heavily recommend such a measure.