Neck guard sales jump after Sask. hockey player slashed by skate

A Saskatoon sporting goods store says they’ve seen neck guard sales jump by a significant amount after a Senior A hockey player needed 80 stitches after being slashed by a skate.

Cole Cusitar, a hockey player for the Churchbridge Imperials, had his neck cut during a game on Dec. 7.

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Sales were already on the rise over the past year after hockey player Adam Johnson was cut in the neck by a skate blade and later died during a game in England in 2023.

John Linklater, general manager of Al Anderson’s Source for Sports in Saskatoon, said the store saw a 76 per cent jump in neck guard sales from Dec. 1 to Dec 9.

Linklater said that from Nov. 1. to Dec. 19 in 2023 — about six weeks after the Johnson death — there was a 267 per cent increase in the sale of neck guards at his shop.

It was during this time period that Hockey Saskatchewan made the equipment mandatory for all players playing major junior hockey as well as for referees. It was already mandatory for kids playing minor hockey.

Linklater said he had especially noticed an increase in adults buying neck guards.

“Five, six, seven years ago, our neck guard sales would be like 80 per cent junior sizes and 20 per cent adult sizes,” he said. “Now our buy is probably closer to 60 per cent junior and 40 per cent adults.”

Linklater said it sometimes takes a major injury for adults to warm up to the idea of wearing a neck guard.

“You’re not going to get razzed out on the ice for wearing neck guard. You don’t get razzed anymore for wearing a full cage. People are out there to have fun and get some exercise and they got to go to work next day,” Linklater said.

“They want all their teeth in place and they they don’t want broken noses and eyes taken out and stuff like that. So protecting one’s health … is becoming is definitely more acceptable.

“There’s still a bit of an old-school mentality where we’ve got to be tough and be minimalistic with our equipment, and so forth,” he added.

“But I think the (mindset) is shifting and unfortunately it takes incidents like these to get people to finally make that call and say ‘it’s just time’.”

Linklater said there are a variety of different neck guards on the market that cost from about $30 to over $200. The most expensive neck guards are the full suits worn under equipment which has cut protection fabric as well.

Read more:

• Second ammonia leak keeps Weyburn rinks closed until after Christmas
• Vintage hockey cards from Saskatchewan auctioned off again for US$2.5 million
• Dawes, Weise, other former NHLers set to sign with Sask. Senior A team