Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie wore a neck guard during the team's home game Thursday night against the New York Islanders.
Oshie first had the neck guard on during pre-game warmups.
The neck guard was made by Oshie-owned Warroad Hockey.
Oshie's decision comes following the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson, who died after his neck was cut by a skate in a game in England last weekend.
“We’re grown men…you can make your own choices," Oshie told reporters after the game, per Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. "I made my choice for my kids. I want to stick around for ‘em. I’m just trying to decrease the chance of injury.”
Buffalo Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin started Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but told the Buffalo News' Mike Harrington he did not wear it in the second half of the game because of body temperature issues.
"I kind of tried it out for the first time during the game, but it didn't last that long," Dahlin said. "For sure, I want to use it and I want someone to develop a nice, breathable neck guard. I think the future is going to be it's going to be a must."
Several NHL players have worn neck guards in practices this week, including Erik Karlsson, Lars Eller, Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tom Wilson of the Capitals and Vladislav Namestnikov, Rasmus Kupari, Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets
Neck guards are not mandatory in the NHL.
The NHL cannot make rule changes related to protective equipment without the approval of the NHLPA, but deputy commissioner Bill Daly has said the league is encouraging its players to think about making the switch.
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