Three Flyers players don neck guards in practice and plan to wear them in games following the tragic on-ice collision that killed Adam Johnson in England: ‘Why would I not put it on?’

Philadelphia Flyers teammates Cam Atkinson, Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny ​​all wore neck protectors during Friday’s practice following the tragic death of American Adam Johnson, who was killed in England last month when his throat was slit by the skate blade of an opponent.

“Unfortunately, it’s one of those things where something happens and it scares you so much,” Konecny ​​said NBC Sports’ Jordan Hall. ‘I have a wife and children at home. For me it’s: why wouldn’t I put it on?

“I’ve definitely had skates in different places where you look, or on your legs. I had one, I think last year or the year before, where I tripped and a guy was trying to take off, and his skate hit my visor right in front of my face. It just scared me. It’s one of those things where you think, “That won’t happen to me.”

Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on October 28 when he was struck by opponent Matt Petgrave’s skate blade during the Elite Ice Hockey League match at Sheffield’s home arena. A post-mortem examination revealed that he died as a result of fatal neck injuries, police said.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in this case. South Yorkshire Police have not named the suspect or provided his age. He was arrested on Tuesday and released on bail on Wednesday pending further investigation.

Adam Johnson was killed when an opponent’s skating blade collided with his neck during a match

Matt Petgrave, pictured playing for the Utica Comets, was involved in the tragic collision

Although barely visible to fans, neck guards can protect against serious injury by attaching them to a player’s undershirt and covering the vulnerable jugular vein.

“For me, I’m doing what’s best for me and my family,” Atkinson said. “If it helps other guys feel more comfortable wearing a neck gaiter, then that’s what matters.”

Atkinson told NBC Sports that he has a facial scar after a near-catastrophic collision in 2014.

The winger ultimately needed 75 stitches and almost lost his right eye.

“Basically the face protector, the shield, protected my eye,” Atkinson said. ‘I closed my eye so quickly that it went halfway up my eyelid and didn’t even touch my eyeball. …My eyelid was hanging over my eye, so I couldn’t see. At that moment I thought it hit my eye. As soon as I got back to the doctors, they lifted my eyelid and I could see.”

Travis Sanheim (left) and Travis Konecny ​​​​(right) also wore neck guards during Friday’s practice

As NBC Sports reported, Atkinson and Konecny ​​plan to wear a neck guard during Saturday’s game against the reigning champion Vegas Golden Knights, but Sanheim’s model needed an adjustment, so he sent it back to the manufacturer.

Neck guards are already in demand in youth and collegiate hockey, but may soon become popular among NHL players.

“Hopefully eventually we can get everyone to wear it because I think that’s where it’s going,” Sanheim said. ‘I think that’s where it should go. You saw the incident that happened, clearly a freak accident, it could happen to any of us on any given night.

“If we can take precautions and not let that happen, I think that’s a good thing.”