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Accidental death of former Penguin Adam Johnson in England has players thinking more seriously about their safety on the ice.
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All it took was a recent conversation with Josh Nicholls for Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher to wear a neck guard during Wednesday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex.
“Talking to him it makes you think, maybe I should try to take extra precaution,” Gallagher explained.
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Nicholls is a right-winger for the Sheffield Steelers of the U.K. Elite Ice Hockey League. And the former late-round 2010 draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs was on the ice last month when his teammate, Matt Petgrave, accidentally slashed the throat of Adam Johnson, who was playing for the Nottingham Rangers.
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The 29-year-old Johnson, who played 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins but spent most of his career in the minors and Europe, died after his carotid artery was sliced and he bled out.
Gallagher, along with teammate and fellow winger Michael Pezzetta, were the only two Montreal players wearing the neck protection on Wednesday. Neither player has any immediate plans to wear one during a game, but might consider it some time in the future.
“I just tried it today … to give it a shot and see where I’m at,” said Gallagher, who has battled numerous injuries throughout his career but none related to his eyes or neck. “It went better than I expected. I thought it would be a bit more uncomfortable. It wasn’t terrible. I’m not looking to wear it right away, but will try it a couple of times in practice.”
Gallagher said it was a harrowing experience discussing the incident with Nicholls.
“They need some help,” he said. “It’s tough and hard to explain. You can’t really imagine what it was like being there. Obviously everyone involved, everyone that was at the rink that day, their lives changed a little bit. It puts perspective on everything. When you go through something like that it always changes you a little bit.”
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Pezzetta, a physical player like Gallagher, said he decided to try one on the urging of his mother. Other than it feeling big and thick, Pezzetta said the experience wasn’t terrible.
“It’s just different than what you’re used to,” said Pezzetta, who scored his first goal this season during Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay at the Bell Centre. “You’re used to a routine and feeling a certain way. But it’s your life. It wasn’t really that bad when it comes down to a safety factor.
“I’m someone who’s pretty heavy on the forecheck, kind of always in battles,” he added. “You can slip or get a couple of skates to the face when you fall. A couple of inches and maybe it’s your eye. Another couple of inches, it’s your neck. It’s a fast game.”
The NHL has only recommended neck guards be worn for protection. Commissioner Gary Bettman recently said the league and its players’ association have been in contact about the issue.
Hockey Canada requires next protection at every level up to junior and at all levels of women’s hockey, but USA Hockey has no such stipulation.
The English Ice Hockey Association is making neck guards mandatory beginning in 2024.
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The Penguins, have ordered their minor-league affiliates in the AHL and ECHL to require all players now wear the protection moving forward.
“Part of it is just trying to look cool,” Pezzetta said. “In the NHL it looks a lot better if you don’t have this big neck guard on. Your life is more important than looking cool. If more guys adopted it, there wouldn’t be such a stigma.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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