Giordano, along with Tyler Bertuzzi and Simon Benoit tried out some new neck protection at Maple Leafs at practice.
Giordano, along with Tyler Bertuzzi and Simon Benoit tried out some new neck protection at Maple Leafs at practice.
Mark Giordano didn't like the neck guard he tried out at Toronto Maple Leafs practice on Wednesday. But that isn't going to stop him from continuing to experiment until something feels right.
"I think the key is to just get used to finding something that is relatively comfortable and go from there and keep wearing it over and over again," he said.
The veteran defenseman first revealed he was open to wearing neckguards when he was asked about it last week while the club was in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the NHL's Global Series.
Before he took the ice on Wednesday, Leafs training staff laid out different options for players to try out. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Simon Benoit elected to join Giordano in wearing it.
"We understand that it may not be 100 percent protective but even 25 or 35 percent it might make the difference if you make it or not, right?" Benoit said. "I don’t feel slower or anything like that. It’s just a question of look maybe?":
On Oct. 28, Former NHL player Adam Johnson was killed while playing with the Nottingham Panthers of the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League when a skate blade cut his throat.
Since his death, the EIHL mandated neck guards as of Jan. 1, 2024, noting supply issues. The Western Hockey League has mandated neck guard use as of Nov. 3. The Pittsburgh Penguins — Johnson's former NHL team — instituted a team policy that mandates their AHL and ECHL players to wear neck guards.
Giordano, the oldest player in the NHL is hoping to set an example by trying to make neck guards work,
"As a dad for me, it’s just an important message to the kids who are watching us on TV and growing up seeing us trying it," he explained. "Maybe it’ll encourage some of the young kids and junior players to try it and go from there."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH4ACyp7_h8[/embed]
Although it was just three different Maple Leafs wearing neck guards in practice, William Nylander said he's willing to give it a try "at some point."
"I only assume it’s going to be more and more common throughout the league and as more options become available and finding the right fit," Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said.
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