The following guidelines should be used for only the 2024-25 hockey season starting on 8/1/24 to determine if a neck laceration protector is acceptable to wear in a USA Hockey sanctioned game.

All neck laceration protectors must be commercially manufactured for the purpose of neck protection of skaters during a game. They must be worn in the manner for which they were designed and cannot be altered in any way.

Further:

• The common foam neck-loop, turtleneck shirt or dickey-collar neck protector are acceptable.
• Hanging goalkeeper throat protectors do not serve as a substitute for a neck laceration protector.
• If a player (including goalkeeper) loses their neck laceration protector during play it is treated the same as a mouthpiece. Play shall be allowed to continue until the next stoppage. At which point the player must replace the equipment or be substituted for by a teammate.
• If a player enters the game (during a stoppage) while missing a neck laceration protector they will be ordered back to their team bench and substituted for. Furthermore, the team will be issued an equipment violation warning, and any further equipment violation by a player on that team will result in a misconduct penalty.
• A head sweatband or common turtleneck shirt will not satisfy this rule. Game officials are instructed to use good judgement while determining if the equipment is legal, and to always err on the side of protecting the player.

Please refer any questions to either BJ Ringrose or Dave LaBuda.