Ice Hockey World Federation: Changes after Johnson's accidental death
The Ice Hockey World Federation IIHF has announced changes in view of next year's World Championship in the Czech Republic following the accidental death of professional Adam Johnson. "Everyone should be safe at the next World Championship," emphasized IIHF President Luc Tardif during the Deutschland Cup in Landshut at Magentasport. "But we didn't want to do this in a hurry. Because you need good protection. We will do something and we will do it as quickly as possible." The next Ice Hockey World Championship will take place from May 10 to 26 in Prague and Ostrava.
In the German Ice Hockey League, neck protection will be mandatory from January 1, 2024. There is not yet a fixed timetable for when and what exactly the international association will decide. "We had a meeting with the medical committee and the referees. We tried to make decisions quickly," said Tardif. "So we need to make sure that this protection has a guarantee. Then we have to organize the rules."
The accidental death of former Augsburg professional Johnson had sparked the discussion about the additional protection. The US-American was killed at the end of October during a game between his Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers when his neck was cut by a skate blade.
The IIHF, following Johnson's unfortunate incident, has outlined changes for the upcoming World Championship in the Czech Republic, emphasizing the importance of safety in ice hockey. The DEB, the German Ice Hockey League, will mandate neck protection starting from January 1, 2024, but the IIHF is still deliberating on international regulations.
Source: www.dpa.com
