Local hockey players are sporting some new gear in the wake of the death of a former NHL player in England.

The British Columbia Hockey League has made the decision for protective neck guards to be mandatory last week, after American hockey player Adam Johnson, who appeared in 13 NHL games with Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020, died when his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England on Oct. 28, 2023. He was 29.

The South Surrey-based Surrey Eagles team started donning the neckwear prior to the mandate, with Eagles head coach Cam Keith saying it was an easy decision.

乌鸦传媒淲e felt it was good timing,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏asically, it乌鸦传媒檚 a band that Velcros in the back乌鸦传媒� it covers that vital area of your neck, so if a skate were to come up, it would restrict it from cutting it open.乌鸦传媒�

The Eagles players grew up wearing neck guards in minor hockey leagues, Keith noted, so it was more of a matter of getting used to wearing them again.

乌鸦传媒淧ersonally I乌鸦传媒檝e always felt why not wear a neck guard 乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 not inhibiting your sight. It can obviously save your life, you just never know.乌鸦传媒�

The Western Hockey League made neck guards mandatory Nov. 3, 2023, and BCHL commissioner Steven Cocker confirmed Monday (Nov. 27) that the entire BCHL league has now made it mandatory as well.

乌鸦传媒淓arly last week was when it was formally brought in,乌鸦传媒� Cocker said.

乌鸦传媒淭o me, it was honestly a no-brainer乌鸦传媒� it certainly wasn乌鸦传媒檛 a difficult one to get unanimous support of our league. One of our pillars 乌鸦传媒� we have four pillars and one of them is player safety.乌鸦传媒�

The difficulty many teams have been having since the tragic England incident has been actually finding neck guards, he noted.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 hit-and-miss right now and the simple fact is, stock isn乌鸦传媒檛 available.乌鸦传媒�

Any mandatory requirements are based on the availability, or stock, of neck guards for players, and Cocker said the BCHL is working with its partners to secure such stock.

乌鸦传媒淲e knew there was a stock issue, but I乌鸦传媒檓 hoping it乌鸦传媒檚 not too much longer now that every player has this available to wear,乌鸦传媒� said Cocker.

While professional hockey players have been injured by skates 乌鸦传媒� even in the neck 乌鸦传媒� before, Johnson乌鸦传媒檚 death raised a more immediate sensitivity to the issue, both Cocker and Keith said.

乌鸦传媒淚t was really unfortunate that had to happen to create more awareness about it,乌鸦传媒� Keith said.

Police in England arrested a man on Nov. 14 on suspicion of manslaughter and while they didn乌鸦传媒檛 name him, other media outlets reported Matt Petgrave 乌鸦传媒� the other player involved in the incident 乌鸦传媒� was released on bail after the arrest.

The Peace Arch News has also reached out to White Rock Whalers and the Pacific Junior Hockey League about neck guards for players, but has yet to receive a response.

The Surrey Eagles, who started off their season leading the league in points and undefeated several games in a row, are still leading the BCHL乌鸦传媒檚 Coastal Conference 20 games in with 32 points, despite losing their last three games (all away games).

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They return to The Nest, their Olympic-sized rink in South Surrey, for a four-game homestand starting with the Cranbrook Bucks this Sunday, Dec. 3, with a 4 p.m. puck drop.

Despite a few recent losses, Keith is still extremely happy with the Eagles乌鸦传媒� efforts so far this season.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going great! There乌鸦传媒檝e been a lot of positives throughout the season so far 乌鸦传媒� not just the results,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e have three of the leading scorers in the league right now, players (are) winning scholarships乌鸦传媒� our team is getting recognized in that way a lot.乌鸦传媒�

So far, five Eagles players have earned scholarships: forward Ryden Evers (University of Nebraska-Omaha); right winger Ryan Schelling (Providence College), centre Zachary Wagnon (Yale), defenseman and team captain Ty Brassington (Clarkson University) and goalie Ajeet Gundarah (Sacred Heart University).

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e had some good home games with some good results,乌鸦传媒� Keith noted.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e only lost one home game so far so we feel like this could be a good year for us to try to win a championship.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒� files from Leaha Hammond, Associated Press