Next season, every high school hockey player in America will have a memorial to Adam Johnson around his neck.
The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) announced Thursday that all high school programs nationwide will be required to wear neck guards starting next season.
Johnson, a Hibbing native and former hockey player from Duluth, Minn., died on Oct. 28 after being hit in the throat by an opponent's skate blade while playing for the Nottingham Panthers in England's Elite Hockey League. His death brought worldwide attention to the use of neck guards in hockey.
Neck guards are generally not required by hockey organizations, and they are not regularly used in the NHL, college hockey, or the top minor leagues because they are uncomfortable or restrict movement. After Johnson's death, some organizations, such as the International Ice Hockey Federation, mandated the use of neck guards, and more players chose to use neck guards and spoke out in favor of their use.
In line with the NFHS ruling, USA Hockey decided in January to require neck protection for players 18 and under and some 19-year-olds starting Aug. 1. The organization recommended neck protection for older players, but did not mandate it.
The NFHS decision affects more than 40,000 athletes. In 2022-2023, the latest year for which data is available, 33,013 boys played hockey at 1,601 high schools and 8,601 girls played at 713 schools. According to the NFHS, 4,925 boys and 3,328 girls played high school hockey in Minnesota that season.
Requiring neck protectors for high school players is now NFHS Rule 3-4-4. The most successful men's hockey coach in Minnesota history approves.
“Anytime you can avoid something as tragic as that, you have to act,” said Mike Randolph, who ranks with Lorne Grosso for No. 1 in Minnesota history with 707 wins.
Randolph, who coached at St. Thomas Academy for the past three seasons and has been announced as the coach of the Northern Lakes co-op program next season, said he has a “personal attachment.” His son Jake played youth hockey with Johnson.
Randolph said that after Johnson's death, he and St. Thomas Academy Activities Director Reid Hornung took immediate action to ensure all Cadets players wore neck protection. He said he plans to do the same at Northern Lakes once the district approves his hire, a decision to be made at Monday's meeting. “We will implement it immediately,” he said.
Neck guards come in various shapes. There are also turtlenecks with built-in protection and types that can be wrapped around the neck. Kevlar, the same product used in bulletproof vests, is often used.
Randolph's argument: Let's make reserve hockey players bulletproof, too.
“If we can save a life, we'll do whatever we can,” he said. “It's a great game. It's a dangerous game. We have to protect our players.”
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