The Pittsburgh Penguins are heavily encouraging their players to wear neck guards, while their farm teams will be required.

Everyone in the hockey world was touched by the loss of Adam Johnson over the weekend, and it hit extra close to home for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While Johnson played for a number of teams across numerous leagues, his only NHL appearances came with the Penguins.

Considering the unfortunate circumstance of Johnson’s death, questions have been raised about extra levels of mandated protection for hockey players.

Johnson’s tragic death came after he took a skate blade to the neck during a game in the United Kingdom’s EIHL.

The biggest question that has come from the incident is if players should be required to wear neck protection.

Some players have picked up the extra protection already, but no mandates have been in place in North American leagues.

The English Ice Hockey Association has required their league’s to integrate neck guards by the turn of the calendar year.

The Penguins as an organization have begun implementing the requirement where they see fit.

According to Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers will be mandated to wear neck and wrist guards.

Due to regulations within the collective bargaining agreement, the Penguins cannot mandate extra padding at the NHL level.

Sullivan said the team will, however, strongly encourage their usage.

“We can’t do that at the NHL level, but we certainly strongly encourage,” Sullivan said. “That’s our hope. Hopefully, as a league we can work towards developing more options for guys.”

Sullivan is hopeful that the league will eventually come around to the requirement of cut-resistant padding, especially in the exposed areas of the body like the neck or wrists.

“Hopefully, there will be an initiative here moving forward,” Sullivan said. “One of the positive things that may come out of this terrible, terrible tragedy.”

It seems likely that in the coming days, we will start to see more player across the world wearing neck guards in hopes of preventing another tragic loss.

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