NHL increasing talks on cut protection in wake of player's death in England

The death of American hockey player Adam Johnson from a skate blade to the neck in a game in England is leading to further discussions about cut-resistant protection in the NHL and other leagues.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh touched based Sunday in the immediate aftermath of the death to set up further talks between the league and union. For several years the two sides have been studying skate cut injuries and how to reduce and avoid them, and now the topic has taken on greater urgency at various levels of the sport.

"We're going to explore everything," Walsh said Wednesday. "We have to continue to have conversations on this as we move forward here. It's a change for the players, but it's also about protecting them, so I think we will have those conversations as we move forward here."

Johnson, a 29-year-old from Minnesota, died at a hospital after being cut in the neck by the skate blade of an opponent during a game Saturday night in the Elite Ice Hockey League. The league called it a "freak accident," and South Yorkshire Police have said they are investigating.

WATCH | Adam Johnson's death reignites debate over mandated neck protection:

The incident already has had an impact across the Atlantic Ocean, with the American Hockey League and ECHL affiliates of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the organization Johnson once played for, mandating neck guards for players. The AHL and ECHL mandated cut-resistant wrist and foot/ankle protection last summer, in consultation with the Professional Hockey Players' Association.

"We've seen it with other things, particularly with visors: If the players get used to it in the AHL, then they're going to want to continue to use it in the NHL,