Preventing the preventable: addressing fatal neck lacerations in ice hockey and the urgent need for mandatory protection

Ice hockey is a fast-paced, physically demanding team sport that is characterised by its intensity, agility and toughness. Nonetheless, the inherent risks associated with this sport are notably due to the use of skates with sharp blades. While the majority of injuries in hockey are orthopaedic1 or concussive,2 mainly due to player-to-player contact/collision/falls,3 rare but catastrophic incidents involving neck lacerations (ie, 0.2% among US adult ice hockey players)4 have exposed a critical gap in player safety. The tragic death of a professional player in October 2023, after accidentally receiving a fatal neck wound by an opponent’s skate during an Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK, reignited an urgent conversation about protective gear and preventive policies.5 This editorial aims to briefly review the challenges that continue to hinder the widespread adoption of life-saving equipment. Incidents of neck lacerations caused by skate blades are exceptionally rare4 but invariably alarming each time they occur. Among the most widely reported incidents are cases in which professional ice hockey players sustained severe neck lacerations from skate blades during collisions, resulting in substantial blood loss on the ice. Survival in these cases was made possible through immediate first aid and prompt, effective emergency surgery. These non-lethal yet graphic cases (and their accompanying psychological trauma for athletes but also spectators) received large media coverage and drew momentary attention to neck protection. …