A man was arrested in the death of a hockey player whose neck was cut with a skate blade during a game

A man has been apprehended by the police in England in connection with the tragic death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson. Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on October 28 when a devastating incident occurred during the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. In this incident, Johnson’s neck was cut by an opponent’s skate blade.

The South Yorkshire Police have not disclosed the identity or age of the suspect, who is currently in police custody. The incident involved another player, Matt Petgrave, 31, from the Sheffield team. It was a shocking and gruesome incident that sent shockwaves through the hockey community, leading to moments of silence in the NHL.

Video footage of the incident shows Johnson carrying the puck towards the Steelers’ net when he collided with Petgrave. As Petgrave began to fall, his left skate blade unintentionally struck Johnson in the neck. Both players fell to the ice, but Petgrave quickly regained his feet. Johnson, on the other hand, rose more slowly, and as he was assisted off the ice, his jersey was stained with blood. Tragically, he later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.

Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall stated, “Our investigation was launched immediately following this tragedy, and we have been conducting extensive inquiries to piece together the events that led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.”

It is worth noting that while it is rare, there have been instances in the past where hockey players faced charges related to on-ice actions. For example, Giacinto “Jim” Boni faced culpable homicide charges in Italy after an incident in 1992 that resulted in a player’s death. Similarly, in Canada, Marty McSorley and Todd Bertuzzi were charged with crimes for actions on the ice in separate incidents.

In the case of McSorley, he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for a stick slash to the head of another player and received a probation sentence. Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to assault for a sucker punch from behind and also received a probationary sentence.

The Nottingham Panthers expressed their condolences for Johnson’s tragic death, describing it as a “freak accident.” Johnson, a Minnesota native, had appeared in a total of 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

In response to Johnson’s death, the English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, has mandated that all players in England wear neck guards starting from the beginning of 2024.

Despite the circumstances surrounding this incident, there have been expressions of support and understanding. Johnson’s teammate, Westin Michaud, defended Petgrave, describing the incident as an “unintentional clip” and called for unity and support rather than unwarranted hate.

At a recent home game for the Sheffield Steelers, a moment of silence was observed in memory of Adam Johnson. Although Petgrave did not play in the game, fans gave him a standing ovation when his team photo appeared on the scoreboard, showing a display of empathy in a difficult situation.

As this is an ongoing police investigation, neither the English Ice Hockey Association nor the Nottingham Panthers have provided further comments at this time. Additionally, attempts to seek comments from Johnson’s agent, a family friend, and Petgrave’s team have not yielded immediate responses.

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• Ice Hockey Player’s Death
• South Yorkshire Police
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• Marty McSorley Assault Case
• Todd Bertuzzi Assault Case
• Nottingham Panthers on Twitter
• English Ice Hockey Association