Flyers players talk neck protection following former Phantom Adam Johnson’s death

Adam Johnson’s tragic death has caused some NHL players to rethink wearing neck protection.

On Saturday, Johnson was cut in the neck by a skate blade during an Elite Ice Hockey League game in England between the Sheffield Steelers and the Nottingham Panthers, and he died from his injuries. Johnson, a former NHL and AHL forward, played 30 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the 2021–22 season.

“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in that situation,” Flyers forward Scott Laughton said. “It’s something you definitely have to look at going forward, see what the league and the [NHL Players Association] can do together, working to see what they can do for protection up there.”

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Defenseman Travis Sanheim said he has been wearing cut-proof gear for the last two seasons, but protection in the neck area “hasn’t really been provided.”

“When that becomes available, I’m sure there’s going to be guys that take them up on that and start wearing that as well,” Sanheim said. “I’ve been trying to take the precautions in other areas. I’ve seen guys’ wrists [get cut], I’ve seen legs, I’ve seen it kind of in all areas. So it’s something that freaks me out a little bit, and I try to take the precautions necessary.”

The EIHL, the top professional league in the United Kingdom, has announced that neck guards will become mandatory in the league starting in 2024.

The NHL does not mandate neck guards, nor does USA Hockey. Neck protection is mandatory for youth hockey players registered to Hockey Canada, as well as for junior players in the OHL and the QMJHL. Laughton said he wore a neck guard and mouth guard while playing in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals, but he stopped once turning pro.

“I think they’ll have to work with a company here to see if they can make something cut-proof, or something that would make sense going forward,” Laughton said.

Safety updates to NHL rules have historically been slow-moving. In 1968, when helmets were not mandated by the NHL, Bill Masterton died of brain injuries after his unprotected head hit the ice during a game. It took 11 years for the NHL to make helmets mandatory for all players entering the league — but even then, current players were grandfathered in and exempt from the rule. In 1989, former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk was infamously struck by a skate blade in the jugular, leading to massive blood loss and a scary scene. Malarchuk received 300 stitches in his neck but would later resume his professional career.

“You’re going to get resistance from certain players. It’s kind of the same thing with the undergear, some guys find it makes them too hot or uncomfortable, and each player is going to be different,” Sanheim said.

Even in recent history, this isn’t the first time an accident like this has happened on a hockey rink. In 2022, a Connecticut high school student died after being cut on the neck during a junior varsity hockey game. Days before Johnson’s death, Bruins forward Jakub Lauko was caught in the face by a skate, which barely missed his eye.

Following their practice on Tuesday, the Flyers hosted active-duty service members from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard on the ice. The team took a photo with the military members, gifted each one of them with a Flyers jersey, and spent time on the ice skating around together. The Flyers will hold their military appreciation game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.

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“It’s kind of surreal when we stop to think about we play hockey for a living because of those men and women,” winger Garnet Hathaway said. “I wish we could fill up the entire rink. ... A day like today, it was really special to be able to get almost that one-on-one time. Get to know them a little bit, just play around. I think they had a lot of fun, just scoring goals.”

General manager Danny Brière and president of hockey operations Keith Jones were on hand to greet the Flyers’ guests. Head coach John Tortorella, whose son has served as a U.S. Army Ranger, said the chance to meet with the members of the military was a chance to put things in perspective.

“That’s more important than anything we do,” Tortorella said.

Sanheim and Sean Couturier both took maintenance days on Tuesday and did not practice, according to Tortorella. ... Third-string goaltender Felix Sandström was loaned to Lehigh Valley for a conditioning stint. ... The Flyers finished the month of October with a 4-4-1 record.