When Chris Napoli attended his first USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee meeting in 2020 as the player safety coordinator for the New York District, he listened to lengthy debates extolling the pros and cons surrounding the use of neck laceration protectors.

Some felt that more work needed to be done when it came to the design and testing of the neck laceration protectors that are currently on the market. Others felt that if it could save even one life it would be well worth it.

USA Hockey’s position at the time was clear. The national governing body for the sport strongly encouraged players to wear the best pieces of gear they could find to protect the vital areas of the neck. Still, it stopped short of mandating the use of neck laceration protectors.

That was before several high-profile fatal injuries rocked the sport, including the tragic death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, who suffered a neck laceration during a 2023 game in an English professional league. 

As calls grew for the organization to do more, Napoli came to the USA Hockey winter meetings in Orlando, Fla., this past January prepared to work with other members of thecommittee to take a step forward in addressing the growing concerns surrounding neck lacerations.

“The discussion really has not changed much from previous years,” Napoli said. “As a member of the Player Safety and the Safety and Protective Equipment Committees, it was always on the top of our mind that we want to make sure we have the right equipment in place based on the right studies that have been done as far as the use of neck laceration protectors.”

USA Hockey Congress approved legislation requiring the use of neck laceration protection for players in all age classifications, other than adults, in games and practices, as well as for on-ice officials under the age of 18. The new rule goes into effect on Aug. 1.

“USA Hockey has always recommended neck laceration protectors, but with everything that’s gone on in the past few years, even though they’re not USA Hockey related incidents, the board wanted us to dive deeper, and that’s how we came to the decision,”Napoli said.

Based on his personal experience working as a certified athletic trainer on Long Island, Napoli has already seen more youth hockey players over the years starting to wear some form of neck laceration protection.

With several months to go before the new rule takes effect, he offers some advice to players and parents who may be coming late to the party. First, he said, is to purchase a neck laceration protector that covers as much of the neck as possible, while also ensuring it fits properly and feels comfortable. 

“You want to have a neck laceration protector that covers from the collarbone up to the bottom of the jaw,” he said. 

He also recommends that parents and players start looking now and not wait until the start of the season when supplies may be out of stock. He suggests shopping with a trusted hockey retailer, like Pure Hockey, or at a local ice rink pro shop, and to go with atrusted brand of protective equipment and be cautious of new companies jumping into the game looking to make a quick buck.

“Everything still needs to go through a process. It still needs to be validated and researched to see what materials are the best,” he said. “Until then we’re going to have all these one-off companies that will go ahead and try to develop something and say it’s the best thing that’s out there when it’s not.”

Even with protective gear, accidents can still occur. That’s why Napoli strongly urges coaches and parents to know what to do in case something happens. He recommends learning about the Stop the Bleed campaign – which has a video on the USA Hockey website – so they know what to do in the event that a bleeding situation does arise.

“We can look at the equipment part of the equation, but we forget about what happens if something goes wrong,” he said. “It’s important to know how to manage an injury if one occurs, because accidents are still going to happen.”

Napoli has one more piece of sound and seemingly simple advice to reduce the risk of injuries that may occur on the ice.

“It comes down to respect and playing within the rules of the game,” he said. “That will go a long way to making our game safer.”