Kyle Dubas flexes his authority in the Pens organization again, setting a new mandate

After the tragic event that took place on the weekend that led to the passing of 29-year-old Adam Johnson, talks about wearing neck guards in all professional leagues has become a focal point.

The video made its rounds on Twitter over the weekend and it was quite gut wrenching to witness. As Johnson was traversing the middle of the ice and entering the offensive zone, an off-balance Matt Petgrave had his leg/hip clipped, sending him twisting through the air, whicu then turned into the tragic incident that has saddened the entire hockey world.

Due to the incident, many teams around the globe, believe that neck protection needs to be mandated to prevent something like this from happening again. TSN's Chris Johnston reported yesterday that some NHL teams have had discussions about mandating their AHL and ECHL affiliates to use neck guards. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also strongly recommended that NHLers also use neck protection. It would appear as though Kyle Dubas is the first to jump in Pittsburgh.

Dubas has become the first President/GM to mandate the use of neck guards for their AHL and ECHL affiliates. However, for the time being, the Penguins will not/can not mandate them.


More power and more autonomy were two items that were important to Dubas during his negotiations with the Leafs earlier this year, before ultimately being let go. Now that he has that additional authority in Pittsburgh, we have already seen him flex that power by banning his goaltenders from wearing black pads. Now, by mandating neck guards, it would appear as though Dubas is putting his stamp on the organization with a second equipment related decision, mandating something that hasn't yet been mandated by other franchises. At least this time it's safety related.