Over the years, Casey Mittelstadt heard from common acquaintances in glowing terms that Adam Johnson’s hockey experience paralleled his own.
Despite being four years apart in age, Johnson and Mittelstadt both grew up in Minnesota and went to colleges in the hockey state. A few months after Johnson departed the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the Sabres center played for the Golden Gophers in 2017.
Since they started their professional careers, they have been to many of the same rinks in Minneapolis, but their paths have never intersected.Johnson passed away on Sunday following a skate blade slash to his neck sustained on Saturday in a professional hockey match in Nottingham, England. Before competing in elite professional leagues in Sweden, Germany, and England, Johnson played 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019–20. Johnson was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, 180 miles north of Mittelstadt’s hometown. Just 29 years old was he.
Mittelstadt remarked, “I got a lot of friends who played at Duluth and know him.” “I feel bad for those men and for him and his family, of course. It’s a really bad, really bad issue.While friends, family, and former teammates grieve, hockey players at all levels must decide whether or not to require neck guards for participation in this fast-paced, dangerous sport.
During an appearance on NHL Network Radio, Bill Daly, the deputy commissioner of the NHL, stated that the league strongly advises players to start wearing neck protectors. In a statement released on Monday, Ed Kinnaly, CEO of Bauer, a company that makes hockey equipment, asked for “meaningful action” from the hockey community to inform parents and players of all skill levels about the value of wearing cut-resistant protection, to get input from “elite athletes” to meet their needs, and to work with manufacturers and hockey’s governing bodies to ensure that regulations are followed.
While USA Hockey just advises them, Canada requires all youth hockey players to wear neck guards. After practice on Tuesday at KeyBank Center, Sabres coach Don Granato told reporters that the team is in contact with its players to address any needs both on and off the ice. Although there hasn’t been a direct conversation about neck guards, he expressed confidence that his equipment staff has everything his players require. Equipment makers also make long-sleeved shirts with Kevlar fibers around the collarbone and neck for cut resistance, in addition to individual neck protections.
Although NHL players are reluctant to use new equipment, especially if it could be uncomfortable or impair their performance, the most recent terrible event has brought the topic to light.
Mittelstadt responded, “I definitely wouldn’t be surprised,” when asked if more NHL players might think about donning protection. It goes without saying that I now wear [cut-resistant protection] on my ankles and wrists. I haven’t given (a neck guard) much thought, but when you see something like that, you can’t help but think about it. That is difficult. I’m assuming that we both had comparable upbringings because I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about him in the past. That was difficult to witness, therefore it goes without saying that you should think about wearing a neck guard.
The head equipment manager of the Rochester Americans, Andrew Stegehuis, purchased neck protectors and cut-resistant turtlenecks to make sure there were enough on hand in case every player needed one, according to coach Seth Appert during a video conference with media on Monday.
According to Appert, a few Amerks donned the protective gear during practice on Monday, and they will soon have enough in stock to satisfy the heightened demand. Johnson played with a number of Appert’s current players throughout his 257 games in the American Hockey League.
When Brock Haggis, a freshman player at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was injured by a skate during a game in 2010, Appert was the team’s head coach. Haggis lived thanks to the assistance of teammate Alex Angers-Goulet, a pre-med student, who promptly grabbed a towel and pressed it against Haggis’ wound.
Appert remarked, “What happened this weekend was heartbreaking and it’s something I never want to see again.”
Teddy Balkind, a high school hockey player from Connecticut who passed away at the age of sixteen after being cut by a skate during a game, received support from other Buffalo players two seasons ago thanks to the efforts of Sabres center Tage Thompson and his then-teammate, John Hayden.
