AHL will mandate cut resistant neckwear, per officials

When it comes to player safety it's important in the game of hockey and we've heard many Washington Capitals mention it especially T.J. Oshie. When discussing the topic of safety lots of folks think of fighting and arguing which lead to suspensions.

On Friday AHL President and CEO Scott Howson announced to their league's Board of Governors that the mandate has been unanamously apporved for this upcoming season.

All AHL players, referees and lines people, regardless of age or experience, will be required to wear the gear beginning this fall. The news comes after the AHL at the beginning of last season mandated cut resistant socks and wrist sleeves for all players and officials.

After the tragic passing of Adam Johnson's death, the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL mandated neck guard practices which in turn created a policy for hockey requiring players 18 years or younger to wear neck protection in practices and games.

The NHL currently doesn't have a neck protection policy in place but Oshie decided to wear the neck protection on his own terms and he helped guide and navigate the Caps back into the playoffs by being the beat of the drum and the heart and soul of that locker room.

It's already being used in youth hockey and young fans ages 8-18 are invited to sign up for the inline travel league. You can sign up at https://www.capsyouthhockey.com/cihl.

Participatiing clubs include the Ahburn Fury of Loudoun, Va., the Fauquier Dragons of Fauquier, VA, the Madison Wildfire of Madison, VA, the Richmond Renegades of Hanover, Va, and the Winchester Revolution of Winchester, VA.

The Ashburn, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Winchester teams will play out of the Caps outdoor ball/inline hockey rinks in their respective cities. Divisions are compromised of elementary, middle and high school with games featuring 5 tournaments at two games per tournament for a total of 10 total games per the Caps.

Opening weekend will take place on Nov. 23 and 24 at the Caps inline rink at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, VA which opened in May as the Caps 14th inline hockey rink in the Washington, D.C. region.

Andrew Nash, the Caps manager of Youth Hockey and Development would say this about the upcoming festivities:

"We are thrilled to announce the second season of the Capitals Inline Hockey League and for the community to experience inline hockey as part of a unified league. With the return of five clubs and addition of the Winchester Revolution - a testament to the continued growth of hockey in the region - the CIHL provides elementary, middle, and high school students a competitive travel hockey opportunity to engage with the game across Virginia"