Neck protection is mandatory for the Nati: ‘Not everyone jumped for joy’

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It was already mandatory for the junior teams – from this week, wearing a neck protector is also mandatory for the men’s and women’s A-Natis. Swiss ice hockey announced this measure last week to increase the safety of its players. In response to the tragic death of Adam Johnson (†29) in the British Elite Ice Hockey League, whose throat was slit by an opposing skate. “We wanted to set an example,” emphasizes Nati director Lars Weibel (49).

In the National League, wearing a neck protector is currently voluntary. Our image archive shows: Of the national men’s team participating in the Swiss ice hockey games in Zurich this week, more than half have not yet worn a shirt in the competition. When Blick watched the national team’s first training on Tuesday, all players were wearing their neck protection. “Not everyone jumped for joy, but there was surprisingly little negative feedback,” says Weibel. Ultimately, the players would accept it – that’s probably also a matter of fairness.

I haven’t arrived in Lausanne yet

While at certain clubs, such as the ZSC Lions of Zug, neck protection is already worn by countless players and also by Nati stars such as Andrighetto, Marti, Herzog and Geisser after the Johnson tragedy, at others there is still a lot of untapped potential. in this connection . For example in Lausanne, which has the largest delegation at the Swiss ice hockey games with five players (Frick, Heldner, Glauser, Riat, Jäger). None of them were among those who wore neck protection before the Nati meeting.

Lausanne defender Heldner says after his first national team training with neck protection: “It’s still a bit unusual. But I am seriously considering whether I should keep it that way now, also at the club.” He had already thought about it when the whole discussion about neck protection arose after Johnson’s fatal accident, “but later it became part of everyday life forgotten again in the competition.”

The Pilut incident got under the skin

Last Friday, Heldner and his teammates from Lausanne were immediately shown that wearing a neck protector would make sense. When their defender Lawrence Pilut was hit in the head by the skate of Rappi striker Martin Frk, fortunately no serious accident occurred. When he saw the scene on the video cube, it also got under Heldner’s skin: “It was really very close.” And that is why the mandatory neck protection for the Nati comes at the right time for him. It is widely expected that something similar will follow soon in the National League. Possibly from next season. Neck protection is also mandatory at the upcoming World Cup.

Source : Blick