Neck guards: who must wear one, since when, and to what standard.

A neck guard, called a neck laceration protector in the IIHF, USA Hockey and NFHS rules and a throat protector in Hockey Canada's, is a cut-resistant collar meant to reduce the risk of a skate blade cutting the neck. It is not designed for impacts: the ISO standard for these protectors, as described in search summaries of it, does not cover protection from pucks or sticks.

Most of today's mandates followed the death of Adam Johnson, an English Elite Ice Hockey League player whose neck was cut by an opponent's skate blade during a Nottingham Panthers game in October 2023. AP's January 2024 report on the USA Hockey vote also recalled Teddy Balkind, a 16-year-old Connecticut high school player who died from a skate cut to the neck about two years earlier.

The mandates, body by body

AP reported on 10 February 2026 that every player at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic tournament had to wear a neck guard, and that NHL players described it as an adjustment. We found no league-wide ECHL rule. A September 2026 NCAA update, seen only in a search summary, reportedly extends the requirement to Divisions II and III from 2027-28; we could not confirm it.

Where the sources disagree

• USA Hockey age range. USA Hockey's own September 2025 article names youth, girls and high school players and officials under 18, without giving player ages. AP describes under-18 players plus 19-year-olds in boys, girls and junior play. A retailer page, Ice Warehouse, says players "20 and under" (claim).
• USA Hockey certification. AP's 2024 report describes no certification requirement, and a retailer summary says USA Hockey requires a commercially made protector and does not require BNQ. A neck-guard maker's blog says HECC-certified neck protection became required for USA Hockey youth players from 1 August 2025 (claim). We found no USA Hockey text confirming a HECC requirement.
• Hockey Canada age range. The rulebook says minor and female hockey without giving an age. One retailer says this reaches players under 20, another says under 18 (both claims).
• Hockey Canada rule letter. The 2022 reminder cited Rule 3.6(f) and a December 2023 branch policy cited 3.6(c). In the 2026-28 Playing Rules the throat protector requirement is Rule 3.6(c).

Enforcement

• IIHF 2026/27, Rule 9.12: the protector must be worn properly and not modified; after a referee's warning, a violation brings a minor penalty. Rule 9.5 lists it among the items that may be worn outside the uniform.
• NHL 2026-27, Rule 9.8: neck protection must be used as intended, with no rolling, taping or cutting.
• Hockey Canada 2026-28: if a throat protector comes off in play, the player must put it back on or go to the bench; a player who keeps playing without it is penalized, and officials must first try to alert a player whose neck guard has come off and send them off the ice (Rule 3.6(d)). Wearing it improperly brings a misconduct after one team warning (Rule 10.6(d)). Hockey Saskatchewan's January 2024 memo says cutting, taping or altering a guard so it is no longer BNQ-approved counts as improper wear.
• NFHS: a player without a protector, or whose protector comes off in play, goes to the bench and play may continue; refusing stops play and brings a minor. NFHS interpretations of 3 December 2025 confirm play continues when a guard falls off, and that a player arriving at a faceoff without one is sent to the bench until properly equipped.
• UK: recreational players with supply problems could apply for an exception until 31 March 2024. Parental consent was not accepted as a reason to go without, and neck guards were strongly recommended, not required, for on-ice coaches.

The standards

• BNQ (Canada). The Standards Council of Canada lists CAN/BNQ 9415-370 as the neck protector standard, current version 2013 (reaffirmed 2026), with an earlier 1996 edition; it covers protectors meant to reduce direct skate-blade cuts to the neck. A Standards Council notice says it is to be replaced by ISO 10256-5, which we could not confirm has happened. Retailers cite "BNQ 9300-040" instead, which may be a certification protocol rather than the standard. These details come from search summaries.
• ISO 10256-5. The ISO part for neck laceration protectors covers players, goalkeepers included, and referees. ISO lists a second edition dated July 2026 (search summary).
• ANSI/ISEA cut levels. The NHL rule uses the cut scale of ANSI/ISEA 105, a US hand-protection standard that grades cut resistance from A1 to A9 by the blade force needed to cut through a material. The rule does not name an edition. Industrial suppliers reference a 2016 edition and a 2024 revision that keeps the A1 to A9 scale.
• HECC. A retailer says HECC launched a neck laceration protector programme in 2025, testing to ISO 10256-5 (claim). We could not reach HECC's own site to confirm it.

Fit and replacement

• The IIHF's 2026/27 rule asks for a design that covers as much of the neck as possible.
• The Pashby fitting guide says a throat protector must carry the BNQ certification label, fit snugly and cover the throat fully, and should be hung to dry after use.
• A retailer, HockeyMonkey, advises measuring the neck just below the Adam's apple, checking fit with shoulder pads, helmet and jersey on, and replacing a guard that is cut, frayed, stretched or no longer closes securely (claim).
• Some bodies also recommend cut-resistant socks, sleeves or undergarments. The IIHF's 2026/27 Rule 9.5 strongly recommends them for all players.

Neck guard rules are new and still changing. Check the label on your guard and your association's current rule before every season.