David Kirouac-Imagn Images
It’s kind of amazing there aren’t more skate-induced injuries in NHL games, although there are plenty of players who take precautions to minimize those risks. Canadiens forward Josh Anderson recently joined that club when he donned a pair of cut-resistant pants for the first time ahead of a game where they ended up saving him from a debilitating setback.
Hockey is an inherently dangerous sport, and players know there’s a chance they might fall victim to a bone-crushing check or get drilled by a puck that can travel over 100 MPH whenever they skate out onto the ice.
Those skates are also a major liability due to the razor-sharp blades affixed to the feet of every player.
No one has ever died in an NHL game because of a skate-related injury (although Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk almost bled out on the ice after getting slashed in the throat during a game in 1989), but in 2023, former Penguins center Adam Johnson passed away after a tragic incident unfolded during a game in England.
His death caused USA Hockey to institute a new rule that requires all players under the age of 18 to wear protective neck guards during the game, and while the NHL has declined to institute a similar policy, there has been an increase in the number of players who’ve adopted them to mitigate the risks of a rogue skate.
Of course, the neck isn’t the only area that’s vulnerable, and there are also many hockey players who’ve decided to wear cut-resistant pants under their pads in order to ward off lower-body injuries stemming from a skate.
Earlier this week, Canadiens winger Josh Anderson decided to go that route for the first time after the team’s equipment manager gave him a pair ahead of their showdown with the Senators.
That turned out to be a very good call when you consider they were responsible for sparing him from the severe ankle injury he likely would have fallen victim if he wasn’t wearing them when Nick Suzuki’s blade made its way inside his skate during a board battle.
Close call for Josh Anderson. 😬 pic.twitter.com/Z2Neow1yNv
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 19, 2025
Anderson could be seen processing that development on the bench after realizing what transpired, and he said “I was very fortunate” in the interview where he acknowledged he’d never worn them before the contest.
Crazy stuff.