SAN DIEGO — A deadly incident in professional hockey is leading to calls for improved safety on the ice and in other sports.
A new piece of equipment could better protect athletes of all ages. It uses new technology to protect a player's head and neck. G8RSkin Ice is a first-of-its-kind personal protective equipment that not only aims to protect the livelihoods of athletes, but their actual lives as well.
“It’s a product designed with athletes in mind," said G8RSkin Founder and CEO Carter Hogg.
This new safety gear aims to prevent serious sports injuries from happening, including concussions and lacerations.
“We're the first head neck shoulder integrated system that's really providing these multiple different protective services all in one product," added Hogg.
Hogg developed the revolutionary equipment after watching his brother suffer a career-ending concussion while playing football.
“It took away his football career but also affected basically took two years of his life just trying to recover from that," he said.
G8RSkin is thin enough to be worn under helmets and is designed to be a multi-sport product.
It’s engineered to disperse energy from impacts and stabilize the neck, without restricting the range of motion. The equipment has a built-in Kevlar liner for hockey that protects against lacerations.
“From the lacerations perspective, it's very important because those injuries are potentially life-threatening, as seen with Adam Johnson recently, or Teddy Balkind a year ago," said Hogg.
Last month, professional hockey player, Adam Johnson died after his neck was cut by a skate during a game. In 2022, 16-year-old Teddy Balkind died after a similar incident. Neither were wearing neck guards.
“Neck laceration has been an issue recently," said team physician for USA Hockey Dr. Charles Popkin.
Dr. Popkin also sits on USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee, he helped develop the product alongside a robust medical team, which includes the Head Medical Team Physician for the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls.
“I think it could be potentially a game changer on two fronts. You know, hockey has had a bit of a concussion problem both in the men's and women's game," said Popkin.
Dr. Popkin calls the equipment groundbreaking.
“It really covers all of the zones," he added.
Hogg hopes the product is adopted by hockey leagues around the nation.
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