Many leagues around the hockey world are making neck guards mandatory, and the Spruce Kings are on board with making the BCHL next.
“We would support it 100%,” Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes told My PG Now, adding “If any of our players, at any point, started wanting to wear a neck guard, they could.”
Hawes is a member of the BCHL’s Competition Committee, he said the BCHL is currently discussing mandating neck protection for its players.
“I would anticipate an announcement from our league – possibly on the weekend or early next week,” he said.
The WHL and CJHL announced neck guards would be mandatory for all teams earlier in the week.
#CJHLNews | CJHL announces mandatory use of neck guards.
Read ➡️ https://t.co/DO0SNdPXDq pic.twitter.com/7ScyzwvvLw
— CJHL (@cjhlhockey) November 3, 2023
These changes follow a tragedy in the English Elite International Hockey League that resulted in the death of Adam Johnson.
“It is unfortunate that it took an incident like that for the league to look into it deeply,” Hawes said. “I think you are going to see most leagues bring that into effect.”
The Spruce Kings played in Vernon last night, losing 8-0 to the Vipers. They look to bounce back this evening in Salmon Arm against the Silverbacks.
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