Football Player’s Invention Aims to Shield Necks from Deadly Skate Lacerations

(KNSI) — A college athlete from Texas may have an invention that saves lives on the ice.

Carter Hogg is a sophomore who plays football for Johns Hopkins University. He is also the founder and CEO of G8RTech. The flexible, protective apparel he created, G8RSkin, was initially developed to reduce concussions. It looks just like a balaclava, and with a small modification, it can prevent slash injuries to the neck of a hockey player.

Hogg says he was inspired to help by the death of Adam Johnson last year. Johnson is a native of Hibbing and was playing in an elite British hockey league when another player’s skate cut his neck.

“You wear it underneath your helmet and your shoulder pads and that allows you to use it for multiple different sports. That shape was really conducive to a neck laceration protector because it’s going to cover more area than any other neck protector out there.”

Hogg tells KNSI News that, as an athlete himself, he was able to address players’ concerns about the equipment, including overheating.

“And the biggest one that we’ve done is we’ve added pockets along the back of the neck and upper shoulders in which you can put cooling gel packs. On those two key locations it’s a lot of blood flow [and] that allows you to reduce the player’s body temperature by cooling those specific areas.”

Hogg says the G8RSkin is made with perforated materials that have sweat wicking properties. These qualities help ensure it doesn’t contribute to added heat while guarding against some of the most serious injuries hockey players suffer.

The product has caught the attention of USA Hockey team physician Dr. Charles Popkin, who is on the company’s medical advisory committee. USA Hockey wants neck protectors to become a required piece of equipment in the game.

Hogg says he is lucky to come from a line of entrepreneurs. His father has 500 patents to his name, and his grandfather is also an inventor. Both he credits with preparing him for business.

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