The Washington Capitals look to heat up after a flat start to the 2023-24 NHL season. The Capitals are 4-4 after dropping a game against the New York Islanders. The hockey world remains distraught amid Adam Johnson's tragic death from a throat injury. Right winger TJ Oshie chimed in on the push for players to wear neck guards after the incident.

Capitals veteran TJ Oshie has deep reasons to wear a neck guard 

Here is what Oshie had to say about the matter:

“We're grown men…you can make your own choices. I made my choice for my kids. I want to stick around to stick 'em. I'm just trying to decrease the chance of injury,” the 36-year-old said, per Tarik El-Bashir.

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Oshie is taking a good precautionary measure. Many players like himself are embracing such gear after the unfortunate Adam Johnson event. At the end of the day, each player has his own decision to make as wearing a neck guard is not mandatory in the NHL at the moment.

In addition to protecting their body, the Capitals want to protect themselves from losing games. In the game against New York, Washington could not score a single goal. The Capitals had a good amount of SOG, but it was not their day.

Washington has plenty of time to clean things up, as multiple teams in the conference are struggling early in the season. Surely, Alex Ovechkin and company will heat up soon. The Capitals next face the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 4th for another Metropolitan Division clash.