11 year old hockey player dies after suffering neck injury.

Another tragic incident in the sport of hockey has raised more questions about adequate neck protection in the high velocity sport.

This week, an 11 year old boy who was practicing in Saint-Eustache, Quebec was tragically killed after he was struck in the neck by a puck. Authorities have not identified the young boy at this time, but he was struck by a puck at the Complexe Walter-Buswell on Arthur-Sauvé Boulevard this past Tuesday. On Friday morning, the city of Saint-Eustache released a statement confirming the young boy had lost his life.

"We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones," read the statement. "All our thoughts are with the family, loved ones, teammates and the Saint-Eustache sporting community.

This incident comes in the wake of the Adam Johnson tragedy which rocked the hockey world, Johnson lost his life earlier this year after being struck in the neck by a skate, and will once again bring questions about proper neck protection in the sport of hockey to the forefront.

Johnson was however an adult who made the choice to play the sport at a professional level, whereas this tragedy happened to an 11 year old child and was during a practice no less, something you would expect to be a relatively safe environment. There is no doubt in my mind that these two incidents occurring so close together will result in significant changes coming to that particular piece of equipment in the not-so-distant future.

More importantly though, I can't even begin to imagine what the parents must be going through after losing their young child so close to the holidays. My thoughts and condolences go out to all of those who have been impacted by such a terrible tragedy, hopefully it can lead to the kind of changes that will prevent any more from occurring ever again.