The 2026-27 NHL season is officially here and with a new season comes changes. Between an explosion of trades, a shorter preseason and a longer regular season, hockey fans have a lot to catch up on as the new season begins on Tuesday.
Thankfully, the NHL rulebook is mostly unchanged for this season. Though we don't have anything as funny as the league adding "common sense" to the rules last year, there is a change to note that will impact young players going forward. This season, the NHL is making neck protection mandatory for all new players entering the league. Any player who has played at least one NHL game before this season is exempt, but going forward all new players will be required to wear neck guards.
Here's the rule as written in the NHL's
rulebook, courtesy of Scouting The Refs:
9.8 Neck Protection – Beginning in the 2026-2027 season, players (including goalkeepers) who have zero games of NHL experience must wear cut resistant protection on the neck area with a minimum cut level protections score of A5, in accordance with the ANSI/ISEA standard. Neck protection must be used in the manner it was intended. No modifications such as rolling, taping, cutting, etc., will be permitted.
Neck protection must be worn in all games including during pre-game warm-up.
The support for making neck guards mandatory has gained momentum across the sport since late 2023 after the tragic passing of former NHL player Adam Johnson. The former Pittsburgh Penguin died after he was accidentally cut in the neck by a skate blade during a game in England.
In the years since, the AHL and ECHL have made neck guards mandatory while NHL players were required to wear them during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Former NHL players Nick Bonino and T.J. Oshie adopted the use of neck guards after Johnson's death in 2023 as well.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The NHL’s new rule for the 2026-27 season, explained
