Overview
- The IIHF confirmed to BBC Sport that neck protection will be compulsory under its rule book at Milano–Cortina.
- The requirement covers all skaters in the men’s and women’s tournaments, where NHL players are slated to return for the first time since 2014.
- The federation approved a universal neck-guard mandate in December 2023 but had not set a senior start date due to supply concerns.
- The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement will require only incoming players to wear neck guards starting in 2026–27, with current players grandfathered.
- Neck guards are already compulsory in IIHF youth events and with some national bodies, while Britain’s Elite League still encourages but does not require them.