“We just play by the rules”: Lack of neck protection at JVM’s Swedish team drew attention and criticism | sports



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Many hockey players from the Swedish JVM team did not wear neck protection in the opening match against the Czech Republic, prompting reactions in Sweden. In international regulations, neck protection is not mandatory.

The lack of neck protection in the Swedish team was noticed on a wide front in the Swedish media.

“Let the sad fate of Åkerblom be a constant reminder why every hockey player should wear the simplest but most important protection,” wrote Adam Johansson of Expressen in a column titled “This is a father: all excuses they are equally idiots. ”

In Sweden, neck protection is mandatory. The rule was introduced in 1996 after Mora’s player Bengt Åkerblom died in October 1995 after cutting his neck with a skateboard in a training match.

Team captain Philip Broberg spoke to SVT after the game about everything.

– We only follow the rules that have been established. SHL is strict on that and then it is important to respect it and I fully understand it. So there is nothing else.

Coach: “You should have a neck guard”

Joel Rönnmark, who was soon allowed to take over as captain of the national team, is happy to see his players use protection.

– There is no rule, so I have not reflected on how it looks. I think you should have a neck guard, that’s my personal opinion. It is an important protection. But it’s individual and as long as you don’t break any rules like that, Rönnmark tells SVT.

Also in the FM league, neck protection has been mandatory for a couple of years, one of the exceptions that applies in relation to the regulations of the international IIHF hockey association.

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