Ryan Reaves' Scary Near-Miss With His Skate Blade Forces Leafs Star To Make Equipment Change
A potentially scary incident occurred when Ryan Reaves caught Pontus Holmberg with his skate blade in a close call, so why hasn't the NHL made things safer?
During the Maple Leafs' last game against the Washington Capitals, danger was narrowly avoided when Ryan Reaves took a tumble and his skate ended up catching teammate Pontus Holmberg, luckily in the chest:
It's a frighteningly close call, and one that can have severe consequences such as in the case of Adam Johnson, who passed away due to a skate blade cutting him in the neck. Other incidents like Clint Malarchuk and Richard Zednik have also caused great distress as while it's a rare occurrence, it still can happen at any time.
It may be why Toronto's William Nylander was taking no chances as he was seen donning a neck guard during the Leafs practice per David Alter of The Hockey News:
This leads us to the question: Should the NHL enforce a mandatory neck protector for all of its players?
Safety First For The NHL
Yes, unequivocally they should. The league is consistently trying to pride themselves on the safety of their players and have adjusted rules, and equipment in the past to improve safety without sacrificing performance. Goalie neck shields, helmet visors, and the aforementioned neck guards aren't a hindrance to performance and they protect players as best as they can, though accidents can happen.
The NHL currently has no rule enforcing neck guards, but they should follow suit with Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and as of 2024-25, the AHL.
The material of the guard is crucial too and needs to be made of something like Kevlar, or potentially a chain metal mesh (a la, chainmail armor). It needs to be cut-resistant, allow for unrestricted breathing, and have no gaps or loose-fitting guards.
It's a small favor to ask players to add an extra layer of protection that doesn't restrict their ability to play, so long as they follow the proper guidelines. Personally, as non-traditional as it is, I'm in favor of full-face shields for players in addition to neck guards as it allows the same amount of vision as a standard visor, and protects against those errant sticks.
The league currently prohibits those shields except for special circumstances, but most other leagues allow full coverings. The league also allows players to not wear a visor if they played long enough; ironically, Reaves is one of the last players to go visorless.
A lot of players have made a shift to wearing a neck guard in order to protect themselves including TJ Oshie, Rasmus Dahlin, and several members of both the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins. The priority of safety over comfort is key to not only a long career but to decreasing any risk to your livelihood.
The NHL needs to implement a neck guard rule so players can have extra protection against potentially fatal consequences. It's not too much to ask these players to do so either considering it's a matter of life or death and there should be no one who thinks it's a bad idea because it saves lives.
| POLL | ||
Does the NHL need to enfore a mandatory neck guard for its players? | ||
