Following the tragic passing of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson on the October 28th after his neck was cut by a skate blade, British ice hockey has contended with a wave of negative publicity.
Despite only being a niche sport in the United Kingdom to begin with, the widespread availability online of distressing footage of the incident risks alienating potential fans even further.
In response to Johnson’s death, the English Ice Hockey Association, which is responsible for every level of UK ice hockey but the top one, announced that neck-guards would be made mandatory for all on ice activities.
However, the Elite Ice Hockey League, the pinnacle of professional ice hockey in this country, has declined to follow suit, instead leaving the decision to individual players.
This begs the questions: is this policy the right one and what lessons has British ice hockey learnt?
After speaking to the host of the Zero Pucks Given podcast Ben Hyde and physiotherapist for the Streatham Redhawks Tanya Romans, the answers have become slightly clearer.
