Neck guards mandated for all high school hockey players next season
(ABC 6 News) – In a new announcement by the National Federation of State High School Associations, all high school hockey players will now be required to wear a neck laceration protector during games for the 2024-25 season.
The ruling came Thursday, after being proposed by the NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Committee at its yearly rules meeting on April 22-23 in Indianapolis. This new rule, along with five other rules alterations, were accepted by the NFHS Board of Directors and are effective come next season.
“The committee has done such great work the past several years, which has the rules in a really good place,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services and liaison to the Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “After great discussion again this year, the committee made some changes that will help minimize risk for participating players and also add some clarity to the current language within the rules book.”
The changes come just months after former University of Minnesota-Duluth and Minn. native, Adam Johnson’s throat was slashed overseas during a game by an opponent.
Mandating the neck guards is part of a new effort to risk minimization and the health and safety of all participants, aligning with national rules and other measures taken by state high school associations and youth hockey leagues nationwide.
If a player is not wearing a neck laceration protector, or if it comes off during the game, that player will be sent to the bench until it has been restored. Any player refusing to wear the guard will be given a two-minute minor penalty.
As far as goalies, the neck guard must also be worn “underneath and separate from the “flapper-style” throat protector attached to the bottom of the goalkeeper’s mask”. Any modifications to the equipment will result in a minor penalty.
To view the other changes made by the NFHS network, click here.