EliteProspects’ Sean Shapiro spoke with Red Wings forward Marco Kasper regarding his status as a rare player who wears neck protection, and Kasper had this to say about his choice:
“They’re actually really comfortable for me, with the brand I’ve used with it built into my shirt,” Kasper said. “I think the biggest thing for some guys is the comfort level, they just feel more comfortable without it.”
There’s also an unspoken peer pressure to it, Kasper said. Once you reach the NHL, it’s normal to ditch the neck guard, almost a rite of passage, and when Kasper made his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season, a one-game cameo, he actually did his best to roll the neck guard down to better fit in.
“When you look around and nobody is wearing it, you try to fit in like that,” Kasper said. “So you try to roll it down or don’t wear it all, because you want to be like everyone else, prove you belong. But then the accident happened (with [Nottingham Panthers forward Adam] Johnson), and you think about it and I’ve never thought about rolling the neck guard down again.”
Continued (paywall); I’ve never worn a neck guard as a skater, but the technology is there now, and I think it’s a pretty good idea.
