The Canadian Junior Hockey League has mandated the use of neck guards across its nine leagues.
That includes the Central Canada Hockey League, which is home to local teams the Smiths Falls Bears and Carleton Place Canadians.
The CCHL already had a neck guard mandate in place, says Interim Commissioner Sean Marcellus, but it wasn’t heavily enforced before this year.
Marcellus said teams and officials got the notice ahead of preseason that it’ll be an area of focus throughout the year.
Neck guards have become a hot topic throughout the hockey world following the on-ice death of former NHLer Adam Johnson last month.
Story by Grant Deme
