Jakub Lauko Reveals He’ll Wear Neck Guard Upon Bruins Return

Jakub Lauko returned to practice and gained a different perspective on life after an in-game Bruins incident.

The 23-year-old took a skate blade to the face in an Oct. 24 game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The skate blade avoided his eye, and Boston placed him on injured reserve. Lauko was cheery on social media after the incident, and a photo of his eye showed how close of a call it was.

Two days after Lauko took the skate blade to the face, former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson died in a ‘freak accident” in England after he took a skate blade to the neck area. Like the rest of the NHL world, Lauko sent his condolences to Johnson’s family, and it served as a reminder for the Bruins forward.

“It feels good. I’m just grateful that I can be here now because it was a close call. It was very close to the eye,” Lauko told reporters, per team-provided video. “It kind of just changes your view about hockey and everything because with everything that happened two days after with Adam (Johnson) in England, it’s horrible. It’s a reminder of how dangerous and how fast the sport is. I’m just grateful to be here after two weeks.”

Lauko returned to practice Wednesday. He wore a non-contact jersey and a neck guard. Other NHL players started wearing neck guards after Johnson’s death, and the second-year Bruins forward revealed his plans moving forward.

“After this experience, after the experience with the eye, what happened in England, I’m just like, yeah, it’s too much of a risk. The neck, it’s the most vulnerable spot for us. I’m gonna start wearing a neck guard, just add some layer of protection to places that are vulnerable. It’s always better to be ready than sorry. I’ll wear the neck guard, I think, for the rest of my career.”

Head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed Lauko will not play Thursday against the New York Islanders. But with Morgan Geekie ruled “week-to-week” due to an upper-body injury, it’s likely Lauko will swap with him when he’s activated off IR.