A regional daily and its sister website are calling for a rethink over ice hockey safety measures following the death of a player last weekend.

Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live have been leading a campaign to make neck guards mandatory in sport after Nottingham Panthers star Adam Johnson died in a tragic accident.

The Elite Ice Hockey League has so far refused to change the current International Ice Hockey Federation guidance which merely “recommends” the use of the guard.

But in a first-person piece, Nottinghamshire Live audience editor Sam Cooper, who is himself a former ice hockey player, described the League’s stance as “tone deaf.”

The call for the League to rethink its position was also featured on Saturday’s front page under the headline ‘Do it for Adam.’

Wrote Sam: “We’re nearly one week on from Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson’s tragic death during a match against the Sheffield Steelers.

“The ice hockey family has come together like never before, rocked to the core by one of our own taken far too soon. But we need those in charge of the league in which they play to step up and support them.

“The tragic truth is that we will never know whether a neck guard could have had an impact on Saturday night. But calls have grown through the week to make them mandatory in all senior games – as they are for those under 18.

“There is still time for the league to rethink its decision – in Adam’s memory.”