Regardless of the level of a young hockey player or team, wearing appropriate protective equipment is the best defense against injury. There are several pieces of protective gear you will want to have by your side all the time, and neck guards are one of those. They will provide you with the right coverage and optimal fit while playing. However, with so many sizes and designs, choosing a hockey neck guard can be tricky.
Styles
Protect yourself from lacerations and blunt-force injuries caused by sticks, pucks and skates with premium-quality hockey neck guards. Picking the right style comes down to personal preference and what you consider to be most comfortable for you. Neck guards also come with different levels of performance features, like the addition of foam protection for impacts or higher-quality materials for more comfort.
Neck Guard Collar
Many players can’t imagine playing without wearing a hockey neck guard collar. This style gives the necessary neck and throat protection. It is easily placed around the neck and fastened with a Velcro strap. More expensive models provide additional impact protection, such as the Aegis Interceptor, which features a D3O Smart Foam to shield against collisions from pucks, sticks and other players. Higher-end neck guards also provide a more comfortable fit since they use softer and more flexible materials, allowing the neck guard to conform to the neck, whereas base models are stiffer.
Neck Guard Collar with Bib
Bibbed hockey neck guards are the industry’s standard. These include an extra attachment known as a bib. The design fits the same as the collar, wrapping around the neck and throat while offering additional cut protection to the top of the chest and collarbone. This type is ideal for those who want extra peace of mind and as much coverage as possible. Its arrangement also keeps the neck guard in place better than a conventional collar because the bib is worn behind the shoulder pads, locking it down and preventing the collar from twisting or shifting during gameplay.
Neck Guard Shirt
While the most expensive, base layer shirts with an inbuilt cut-resistant neck protector provide the most comfort. Designed directly into the shirt, these are ideal for providing vital neck protection while also benefiting players from the base layer’s performance advantages. Many offer moisture and odour control, and some even have extra wrist-cut protection to provide even more protection against sharp skate blades. These shirts’ neck guards are soft and shape the neck beautifully, resulting in a fit so seamless that you’ll forget you’re wearing them.
Certification
Like any decent hockey equipment, neck guards for hockey also have certification. Depending on your country and hockey league, protective equipment including helmets, facial protection, and neck guards must exceed specified safety regulations. Neck guards must adhere to certain requirements, including testing (resistance to skate blade contact) and production (quality, material).
There are now two standards for neck guards: BNQ and CE, with the expectation that HECC will also apply their requirements. It is critical to understand your hockey league and whether there’s demand for a certified BNQ or CE-approved hockey neck guard, which will have their appropriate insignia stamped on it. BNQ stands for Bureau de Normalisation du Québec – Hockey Canada and Ringette Canada mandate players in minor levels across Canada to wear BNQ-certified neck protection.
Any neck guard for hockey with BNQ certification meets the cut-resistant requirements and can be used by these players. BNQ currently conducts thorough testing to ensure the neck guards’ safety, durability, and coverage. A BNQ auditor visits the factory and selects three samples by hand for testing. Each sample is chopped three times, giving a total of nine cuts.
This test simulates the movement of a 200-pound player colliding with another player skating at 16 mph. Each cut test cannot penetrate the final layer of fabric before the skin. The blade is additionally sharpened in between each cut test. A minimum covering area must also be met, depending on the neck protection or neck guard shirt size. This includes at least 1 inch below the neck guard for bibs and shirts.
Size Guidelines
The neck guard should fit tightly against the neck without restricting the range of motion. It should also provide complete throat coverage, and if wearing a bib it should reach the upper chest. Once properly placed, the neck guard should sit comfortably against the body and not move or slide around.
A neck guard that is too small won’t stay secured when on the neck or it will cause choking and will give you a restricted range of motion. On the other hand, a neck guard that is too large will be loose and move around with ease at its shortest adjustment. Therefore, make sure you get the right size as having the wrong one may cause a gap in protection and won’t give you an adequate covering.
