Penguins mandate the use of neck and wrist guards at AHL, ECHL levels in wake of Adam Johnson's tragic death
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have mandated that minor league players in the organization will be required to wear neck and wrist guards in the wake of the tragic death of Adam Johnson, a former player for the team.
During media availability on Tuesday, head coach Mike Sullivan said that players in Wilkes-Barre and Wheeling will be mandated to wear the neck guards and wrist guards.
"Hopefully that'll be one of the positive things that will come out of this terrible tragedy," Sullivan said, as reported by Penguins play-by-play commentator Josh Getzoff.
#Pens HCMS: WBS and Wheeling will have mandated neck guard use. Hopefully that’ll be one of those positive things that will come out of this terrible tragedy.
— Josh Getzoff (@JG_PxP) October 31, 2023
"We can't do that at the NHL level, but we can certainly strongly encourage and that's our hope," Sullivan said, according to the Tribune-Review.
Johnson died in what his team, the Nottingham Panthers of England's Elite Ice Hockey League, described as a "freak accident" over the weekend. Johnson's throat was cut by an ice skate after he collided with a Sheffield Steelers player during a game on Saturday.
After receiving medical attention on the ice at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, Johnson was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In an update on Tuesday, South Yorkshire Police said the investigation remains ongoing. Police said detectives have been investigating since Saturday, including talking to witnesses, reviewing video footage and "seeking the advice and support of highly specialised experts to seek to understand the circumstances surrounding what happened."
Police said it is standard procedure to investigate sudden and unexpected deaths and provide the findings to the coroner.
The Nottingham Panthers announced Tuesday that an official GoFundMe page has been created for Johnson to raise money for the "Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund." The fund, which will support charities in Johnson's hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, can be found here.
Johnson played in 13 games for the Penguins in 2019 and 2020. The team honored him during a pregame ceremony on Monday and wore decals in his memory.