Current:Home > Contact-usLightning left wing Cole Koepke wearing neck guard following the death of Adam Johnson-LoTradeCoin
Lightning left wing Cole Koepke wearing neck guard following the death of Adam Johnson
View Date:2024-12-23 21:16:01
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cole Koepke was en route to a minor league game with Syracuse of the AHL when he heard from a friend that Adam Johnson had been cut by a skate blade during a game in Britain.
After the game last month, the Tampa Bay Lightning left wing found out the fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth product had died.
“I actually knew Adam,” Koepke said after Tampa Bay’s morning skate before Monday night’s game against the Boston Bruins. “A lot to take in ... boom. Shock. Just terrible.”
The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to re-examine safety regulations but prompted Koepke to the wear a turtleneck-style neck guard.
“It was pretty easy,” Koepke said of the decision. “You don’t think it will happen to anyone, yet alone someone you know. How it affected so many people just being from the same area. Seeing the impact of it and everything, it just makes sense.
“It doesn’t bother me to wear the neck guard, so I don’t see a reason not to wear it,” Koepke added. “It just seems like the right thing to do.”
Koepke is the first Lightning player to utilize the equipment. The NHL does not mandate its use.
Johnson’s teammate on the Nottingham Panthers also wore neck protection in their first game over the weekend following Johnson’s death in Sheffield on Oct. 28. The Elite Ice Hockey League said it “strongly encourages” players to wear neck guards.
A postmortem examination confirmed Johnson died as a result of a neck injury.
“The person he was, just a great guy,” Koepke said. “Amazing person.”
The NHL has had skate cut scares throughout its history, most notably Buffalo goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who took a blade to the neck during a game against St. Louis on March 22, 1989. Malarchuk received rapid medical attention and played again 10 days later.
Koepke feels in time more players will opt to have the additional neck protection.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
veryGood! (23419)
Related
- Fate of Netflix Series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Revealed
- Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach takes shot at Yankees' player development system
- Hatch Baby recalls over 919,000 power adapters sold with sound machine due to shock hazard
- Off-duty NYPD officer who was among 4 killed when drunk driver crashed into nail salon laid to rest
- Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- Michigan friends recount the extraordinary moment they rescued a choking raccoon
- Bronny James expected to make NBA summer league debut Saturday: How to watch
- Two boys shot in a McDonald’s in New York City
- Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
- Fireworks spray into Utah stadium, injuring multiple people, before Jonas Brothers show
Ranking
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
- Copa America 2024: Results, highlights as Colombia dominates Panama 5-0
- 4 killed in shooting at Kentucky home; suspect died after vehicle chase, police say
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- Watch aggressive cat transform into gentle guardian after her owner had a baby
- Nightengale's Notebook: Twins' Carlos Correa finds peace after bizarre free agency saga
- Madison Keys withdraws in vs. Jasmine Paolini, ends Wimbledon run due to injury
Recommendation
-
Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally
-
Check Out Where All of Your Favorite Olympic Gymnasts Are Now
-
Caitlin Clark notches WNBA's first ever rookie triple-double as Fever beat Liberty
-
'MaXXXine' ends trilogy in bloody style. But is it truly done? Spoilers!
-
Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
-
Lakers' Bronny James held to four points in NBA Summer League debut
-
Think you're helping your child excel in sports? You may want to think again
-
Think you're helping your child excel in sports? You may want to think again