Neck guards in the NHL: Why 2 Vancouver Canucks wear them [Video]

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.

Just over a year since professional hockey player Adam Johnson died after another player’s skate cut his neck during a game in England, adoption of neck protection among the sport’s top players remains low.

According to the National Hockey League, just 55 players are wearing neck guards this season, or 7.7 per cent of all active players.

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The NHL is one of the only hockey leagues where wearing neck protection is still optional. It’s newly required in the American Hockey Leage this season, and the mandate came in for Canadian major junior teams last year. Neck protection has been required for minors since the ‘90s.

But even though Canadians grow up playing with neck guards, it’s more common than not for players to ditch the …