In a harrowing incident that underscores the importance of protective gear in hockey, a young player narrowly avoided serious injury thanks to a neck guard. Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO) Officiating Program highlighted this event to emphasize the necessity of wearing neck guards. <h2>Young Player's Neck Guard Averts Disaster in Skate Blade Collision</h2> A photo shared by HEO shows a young player who was struck in the neck by a skate blade during a U16AAA game. The neck guard he wore played a crucial role in preventing a more severe outcome. <q>The picture you see here is from a U16AAA game that happened last night in @HEOhockey. The player was cut by a skate. Luckily he was wearing a neck guard or this could have been much worse. This can happen any night in any rink. Protective equipment matters for everyone.</q> <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/338982.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> <q>Thanks to the family for allowing us to share this photo. We are thankful that the player will make a complete recovery. Please share so we can stress this important message for all hockey players and officials.</q> <h2>Life-Saving Role of Neck Guards in Hockey Highlighted</h2> The critical role of neck guards gained attention following the tragic death of Adam Johnson, a former NHL player who suffered a fatal neck injury from a skate blade during a game in England. At the time, Johnson was not wearing a neck guard. In response, the EIHL, where the incident occurred, mandated neck guards for all players, a policy that several other leagues have since adopted. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/rwesthead/status/1724465958977143097?s=20'> </a></blockquote></div>