Beginning in 2025, consumers should look for neck laceration protectors with a HECC certification logo to indicate the product meets minimum performance standards
January 15, 2025 – The Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC), the independent body trusted to certify the safety of hockey equipment used in USA Hockey sanctioned ice hockey, recently announced a new certification program for neck laceration protectors.
The goal of this program, which expands on HECC’s current equipment certification categories of helmets, facemasks, visors and goaltender helmets, is to provide consumers with confidence in the performance of specific neck laceration protection products available on the market. A HECC logo on certified hockey products is a visual confirmation to players, coaches and officials that a sample of that product has been evaluated by the HECC Validator and has been found to meet predetermined performance specifications.
In December 2023, in response to a tragic loss of life due to neck laceration from a skate blade, the international hockey community began to evaluate the efficacy of equipment to protect against neck lacerations. By January 2024, USA Hockey mandated that neck laceration protectors be worn by all players under 18 starting in the 2024-25 hockey season. In order to support the needs of USA Hockey members, HECC took action to lay the groundwork for establishing a new certification program for neck laceration protectors.
HECC certification programs involve three parts: selection of a standard to which a third party can test submitted protective equipment, choosing a third-party validator (testing laboratory) to document that protective equipment has been made to the selected standard, and communicating and collaborating with playing rules-making organizations necessary for proper compliance. Organizations currently requiring HECC certified equipment include USA Hockey, the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The HECC Certification Committee Chairman, Terry Smith, and HECC legal counsel, Ryan Miosek, worked with the current HECC Validator (Canadian Standards Association) to develop a neck laceration certification procedural guide, which ultimately informs all participating manufacturers how a neck laceration product would be certified. This procedural guide was then provided to the HECC Certification Committee for review and approval, and then given to the HECC Executive for final approval. The certification program is up and running, now accepting applications from manufacturers that wish for their neck laceration protectors to be HECC certified.
“Ice hockey is a contact sport, no matter what age group or skill level you’re playing in. Our mission at HECC is to help consumers navigate the vast landscape of hockey equipment with confidence that the products they are using have been tested and perform and protect as advertised. An unmarked, uncertified product cannot give you that confidence,” said Smith. “We hope all adult players out there will also consider wearing a certified neck laceration protector for their own safety, even though it may not be required where you play. We all love hockey, and we all want to get up and go to work the next day. This equipment could potentially save your life.”
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About HECC
The Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1978 at the request of USA Hockey to serve as an independent certification body for amateur hockey equipment. Our mission is to improve player safety and sponsor research in support of reducing hockey injuries. We do this by seeking out, evaluating, and selecting approved standards and testing procedures for hockey equipment. All HECC certified products are tested for performance to nationally recognized test standards. For more information, visit hecc.org.
