By Ben Volin

February 13th, 2008

Palm Beach Post

 Mike Necela runs a youth hockey league with more than 200 players. Like many other hockey fans, he watched in horror when the Panthers' Richard Zednik skated quickly off the ice Sunday night with blood flowing from the sliced carotid artery.

Necela said the gruesome injury, caused by a teammate's errant skate, made him realize the inadequacy of the equipment requirements for his leagues at the Palm Beach IceZone in suburban Lake Worth. 

USA Hockey requires that youths wear helmets with facemasks and mouth guards. Necela plans to talk with other organizers of his league to mandate neck guards.

"It's just something we've got to do," he said. "Whether it's uncomfortable or not is not the issue. It's protection."

Most of the country's recreational and travel hockey leagues follow USA Hockey equipment guidelines. Throat and neck protectors are "recommended" for goaltenders but not even mentioned for other players.

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