Some Ottawa Senators players don neck guards Saturday

Ottawa Senators players Josh Norris and Claude Giroux wear neck guards during the morning skate Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, ahead of a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. (TSN 1200/X)

Some Ottawa Senators players will be wearing neck guards when the puck drops at the Canadian Tire Centre Saturday night.

The Sens are hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the morning skate, forwards Claude Giroux and Josh Norris were wearing black neck guards.

"I just wanted to try it out," Giroux told reporters. "It doesn't feel any different, so I'm going to try it tonight and it's just a decision I decided to do."

Norris said he wore a neck guard when he was younger and he felt comfortable with it on Saturday.

"I was really comfortable, honestly. I didn't really notice it much, maybe for the first few minutes of the skate, but no, I feel good," he said.

The death of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson in England has reignited conversations around neck guards in the NHL. Johnson died after a skate blade cut his neck in a game last week. In response, the English Ice Hockey Association will require all players in England to wear neck guards starting Jan. 1, 2024.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Friday that Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is going to make neck guards mandatory for men's hockey. The Western Hockey League has also mandated neck guards. A neck guard mandate is already in place for the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Norris said he had been thinking about wearing a neck guard since Johnson's death.

"I've definitely thought about it. Obviously, a very sad situation that unfolded there, so, for sure something that I thought about and wanted to give it a try," he said.

Grioux said he spoke with his family about it and decided to try wearing a neck guard.

"I'm sure some guys are going to try it, some won't. I don't think it should be mandatory, but it's a decision that every player should think if they want to do it or not."

Neck guards are not mandatory in the NHL. Players are also not required to wear cut protection on the wrists or the backs of their legs.

The Senators have encountered injuries related to skate cuts before. In 2013, Erik Karlsson was slashed by a skate blade that serious damaged his Achilles tendon, requiring surgery.

The move by Giroux and Norris also follows other NHL players, Karlsson among them, choosing to wear neck guards this week.

Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie appeared on the ice with a neck guard in Thursday's game against the Islanders. Oshie told reporters he made the choice for his kids and to show younger players it doesn't distract from the game. Oshie owns a hockey equipment company and said that he also wanted to show players that cut-resistant equipment is available.

--With files from TSN.ca and The Canadian Press.