In the wake of Adam Johnson’s tragic on-ice death in England, Minnesota Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko says he’ll be promoting the use of neck protectors to his players.
“We’ve ordered them, and at least we’re going to have them available if the guys want to wear them,” Motzko said Wednesday. “We’re going to promote it. I know some have already come in. I think it’s time to make them mandatory. You start wearing it as a kid and you wear it all the way through, I think they should be on.”
Johnson died last Saturday at the age of 29 when he was struck in the neck by the skate plate of an opposing player while playing in a game for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in Europe. Johnson was immediately treated by paramedics on the ice and later died at a local hospital.
Related: Police continue to investigate hockey death of Adam Johnson
Motzko said he has not, and will not, watch the clip of the incident.
“I can tell you as a parent, I was always scared to death with my kids,” said Motzko, whose son Mack Motzko, a standout hockey player, died at 20 years old in an automobile crash in July 2021.
“I can understand if you never wore one then all of a sudden you’re going to feel restricted,” Motzo said about neck guards. “Let’s put them on kids and let’s start a whole new generation of putting those on.”
The Gophers host the University of Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Saturday. Johnson starred for the UMD Bulldogs for two seasons after a standout prep career at Hibbing High School.
