The NHL has made one rule change for this coming season — but hockey fans probably won’t even notice it happened.
According to Alex Daugherty, a Predators beat reporter for the Tennessean, neck guards have now become mandatory equipment — even during warmups — starting in the 2026-27 campaign.
However, there’s a big asterisk to the new rule: It only affects players who have yet to suit up in the NHL.
“All players with 0 NHL games experience must wear neck protection starting this season, even in warmups,” Daugherty posted on X.
“For players with at least 1 NHL game experience, neck protection remains optional.”
That means only incoming rookies, like Maple Leafs top pick Gavin McKenna, will be mandated to wear a neck guard on the ice.
Any other player who has hit the ice for at least one NHL regular-season game would therefore be grandfathered in and not required to sport the gear.
Neck guards are meant to protect a player’s neck and throat from cuts potentially caused by skate blades, while also helping absorb the impact of pucks and high-sticking incidents. Many players eschew wearing them for comfort.
It has been several years since the NHL has seen a serious neck injury involving a cut from a skate. Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk in 1989 and Panthers’ Richard Zednik in 2008 are the two most notable incidents.
However, in 2023, former NHL player Adam Johnson died after suffering a neck laceration during an Elite Ice Hockey League game in England.
What happened when visors became mandatory?
This is not the first time the NHL has made rule changes involving equipment while grandfathering in veterans.
When the league made visors mandatory beginning in the 2013–14 season under Rule 9.7, all players who had fewer than 25 games of experience under their belts were forced to wear the protective shields.
Of the players who were exempt, only Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Zach Bogosian and Ryan Reaves remain active and visorless, though Reaves is a free agent heading into the 2026-27 season.
Dating even further back, when the league made wearing helmets mandatory starting in the 1979-80 season, players who signed a pro contract before June 1, 1979, were allowed to opt out by signing a liability waiver.
Craig MacTavish, whose rookie season was the 1979-80 campaign, famously became the longest holdout, playing 17 seasons without a helmet.
He skated in his final NHL game on April 20, 1997, becoming the last player in league history to play without a bucket.