Hockey Mom Creates Skate Armor
The mother of Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei, Teri Weiss founded Skate Armor, a Wisconsin-based company that designs and created neck guards because of her concern about her son’s safety.
It all began when nine-year-old Mason Lohrei came home from the rink with a bruise on the side of his neck, Weiss cut open the neck guard with her kitchen knife. The neck guard was extremely uncomfortable and sweaty, so Weiss decided to make her own.
She chose a polyethylene Honeywell product that is used in cut-resistant gloves in the food processing industry, SpectraGuard. The design uses rubber tabs that stop it from slipping and cover the sides of the neck all the way up to the earlobes. Weiss says that this protects important areas like the carotid arteries and jugular veins way better than guards with collars.
“I think I designed the best neck guard on the market right now as far as coverage and cut resistance,” Weiss explained. “Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
When Weiss first started selling her neck guard, wearing one was not required, only recommended. Three months after former NHL player Adam Johnson died from a skate cut to the neck, On January 28, 2024, USA Hockey made them required. USA Hockey’s Kevin Margarucci said although these incidents are rare, but Johnson’s death helped move the decision forward.
The rule change should have boosted Skate Armor sales, but that hasn’t happened as much as expected. This rule also puts pressure on Skate Armor, as Weiss once had BNQ certification. Weiss stated that BNQ certification costs $25,000 Canadian in the first year and $13,000 every other year after that, and the BNQ logo is still in Skate Armor’s inventory. On March 19, Weiss was even quoted $10,245.56 for HECC certification from CSA, plus $12,000–$25,000 annually for $5 million in insurance. As a small business owner, she says these costs are significant. Still, USA Hockey’s rules make HECC certification a requirement. Weiss stated: “That is the bottom line. You’re going to have to have HECC.”
Bureau de Normalism (BNQ) certification makes sure neck guards meet the safety standards, while Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) works with the CSA Group, a Toronto-based corporation that tests on a range of products, including home appliances and personal protective equipment, who also certifies protective gear by testing cut resistance and coverage. Weiss let her BNQ certification lapse due to the upcoming HECC requirement and is testing new cooling fabrics.
The chair of the HECC certification committee, Terry Smith said how Amazon’s convenience can cause families to order non-certified helmets that may not have gone under safety testing. HECC general counsel, Ryan Miosek, said that counterfeit labels are often put on products that are not HECC-certified.
Miosek stated. “We don’t, at HECC, just hand out certification labels just because you want it. You have to earn it. Our manufacturers that have that label on their helmet, they’ve earned it. They’ve earned the right to carry that certification on their product to let the market know that this meets a standard.”
Weiss has discussed licensing Skate Armor with larger manufacturers but found no deals, partly because the neck guard profit margins are too small. Other manufacturers make a wider range of hockey gear and can produce neck guards more cheaply, while Skate Armor focuses on three neck-specific products: the neck guard, a neck guard shirt, and an impact insert. Weiss keeps production in the U.S., with materials cut in Wisconsin and assembly in Iowa. The neck guards are sold online and in three retail stores: Littleton, Colorado., Appleton, Wisconsin, and Fargo, North Dakota.
Starting from August 1, 2025, USA Hockey will require all neck guards to be HECC-certified, though BNQ-certified guards will be accepted for two seasons to give manufacturers time to follow it.
And although no current NHL players currently use her neck guards, Weiss estimated in July that she would sell 12,000 pieces during 2025-2026.
A Maya Clinic study in 2015 tested 14 brands of neck guards and found that only the Skate Armor and one Reebok 11k model was able to withstand a 600 Newtons compression test without any damage.
Players going into the NHL in the 2026-2027 season or more have to wear neck protection because of the new agreement between the league and NHLPA. This was already mandatory for professional players in Germany, Finland, Sweden, and England. Canada only requires neck protection for minor hockey, CHL, and women’s hockey.
Weiss says the most rewarding part of her work is hearing from parents that her neck guard saved their child, and she designs them to prevent future injuries, not to make millions.
