The death of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson has brought the neck guard discussion into light.

The hockey world was hit with an unbelievable tragedy over this weekend when former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson died after a ‘freak accident’ during a game in the United Kingdom.

While playing with the Nottingham Panthers, the former Penguins forward took a skate blade to the neck which caused immediate blood loss and led to his eventual, untimely passing.

This isn’t the first time a player has died due to an incident during a hockey game, but there are ways to ensure it could be the last.

The topic of neck guards and their enforcement have been a topic of conversation for some time now, as skates to the neck are also more common than not.

The NHL has seen multiple instances of players taking skates to the neck and head area, but no changes for neck guards or even full face shields have been proposed.

Johnson’s death has brought the conversation of neck guards into the spotlight; numerous faces in the NHL have already spoken on the idea and a few AHL players have already started wearing them.

Multiple players on the Providence Bruins donned neck guards in their game against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

One of Johnson’s former teammates with the Penguins, defenseman John Marino said he wouldn’t be surprised to see neck guards become mandated.

New Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent stated his thoughts on the need of more protection for players and their bodies.

Some leagues around the world have had mandates on neck guards for some time now; with this recent tragedy, teams and leagues are picking up the slack the protection.

In the next few days and weeks, there are sure to be more players, teams, and leagues taking action in protecting the lives of those on the ice.

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