Last weekend, 29-year-old hockey player Adam Johnson was cut in the neck by a raised skate and bled to death. What should the sport do to keep this tragedy from happening again?
On Saturday, a large crowd at the Nottingham Panthers vs. Sheffield Steelers game observed the tragedy in real-time. Johnson was a former NHL player (13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins), and he also played for a number of other teams, including the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden, the Ontario Reign, and the Augsburger Panther in Germany.
Understandably, fans are upset about what happened, and some are urging that charges be filed against the player whose skate caused Johnson’s death. For its part, the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is now mandating neckguards, but I think more action is required. Here are my recommendations.
1. Suspend players if they raise their ice skates a certain length: Suspend players for at least one game for raising a skate too high.
2. Mandate neckguards: The EIHA mandate should be expanded to North American play, which means it would be required in the NHL, AHL, and other leagues, high amateur, college, and pro.
3. Require that players take an ice hockey safety course: Players would have 1o complete a safety course to be certified to compete.
What happened last week in Great Britain demonstrates that extreme caution must be exercised in competitive sports. Competition outcomes should never include the possibility of losing your life.
