- Bettman suggested the decision to make the equipment mandatory was beyond his control
- He says players can wear neck, leg or wrist protection if they wish
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Despite the sudden and tragic death of hockey player Adam Johnson in England, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it could be some time before a player mandate for protective neck gear is instituted.
When Bettman appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, he was asked to comment on the league’s use of neck protection, but he seemed to suggest the power was out of his hands.
Bettman says instituting these protections has been discussed, but any permanent mandate should be left to the passage of time — despite the 29-year-old Minnesota resident’s death at an ice rink in Sheffield, England, just a few days ago .
“That’s been an ongoing discussion about safety and equipment and Kevlar, whether it’s for legs, wrists or neck,” Bettman said.
‘To the extent that anything is made mandatory, it is something that a) there must be the right training and b) something that we do in consultation with the players’ association.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says no neck gear will be mandated by the league
This is despite the horrific and tragic death of former Penguins player Adam Johnson
(The neck gaiter discussion starts below at 8:03 PM)
“We have a standing committee that meets regularly and looks at these issues, and this has been and will continue to be a subject of ongoing discussion.
‘Players are free to wear Kevlar protection for the neck and whatever and I think as part of the evolution (of the game) it’s no different than what we did with visors. It took us a few decades before we agreed to make this mandatory.
‘But through education, players started wearing visors more and more often.
“They came into the game from other places because they were young players wearing visors and we kept encouraging them not to take them off.
“And then we finally got to the point where we made it mandatory. I think we will get there over time if we continue to work together with the players’ association.
“And like I said, there’s nothing stopping players from better protecting themselves – whether it’s on the neck, wrists or legs – by wearing more protective equipment.
“I think this is something we’ll continue to study and teach about, but I think it’s part of the natural evolution (of the sport).
“And what happened in Europe was nothing short of a horrific tragedy, no matter how it happened. And it’s something that I think has raised awareness – and in terms of raising awareness, the discussions are not a bad thing.”
A number of players in the minor leagues – such as the AHL – have started using neck guards
Bettman pointed out that the use of visors is mandatory league-wide, but six players are still required to go without visors after a grandfather clause was imposed in 2013 (above: Ryan O’Reilly)
Since the accident, a number of players in the NHL’s minor league, the American Hockey League, have started wearing neck protectors.
The NHL has always been a league that has been slow to universally implement safety measures.
Despite playing his first game in 1917, it wasn’t until goaltender Jacques Plante suffered a facial injury in 1959 that the first goalkeeper mask was worn in a professional game.
Even then, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the league mandated that goaltenders wear masks.
As for the visors, the NHL only started requiring players to wear them in 2013 – requiring all players with less than 26 game experience to use them. But that included a grandfather clause that allowed players with more than 26 games to play without sights for as long as they wanted.
To this day, there are six players in the NHL who do not wear a visor: Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian, New York Islanders forward Matt Martin, Boston Bruins winger Milan Lucic and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves.
While Bettman suggests that equipment changes should be made through the player’s association, that hasn’t stopped the NHL from imposing equipment bans in the past.
Just this year, the league banned the use of rainbow-colored “pride” tape – a decision that was subsequently reversed.