Former NHL player Adam Johnson was a victim of a tragic accident on the ice during a hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 28 in Sheffield, England. The NHL forward was cut in the neck by another player’s skate during a game and is now dead after the collision. The viral video is horrific as Johnson was skating into the offensive zone on a routine play when Matt Petgrave went to finish his check, his left hook came off the ice, fish hooking Johnson in the neck.
Johnson immediately crumpled to the ice, motionless. The game was stopped, and Johnson received emergency treatment on the ice before being transported to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Racially Polarized Death
Johnson is white, and Petgrave is Black, which adds another layer of polarization. Many fans on social media are calling for Petgrave’s arrest, believing that the play was dirty and that authorities should charge him with manslaughter.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in an Elite Ice Hockey League Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered the injury during the second period. Nottingham and the EIHL described the collision as a “freak accident.”
Manslaughter is typically defined as the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought or, in other words, murder without premeditation.
Petgrave, a 31-year-old from Toronto, has been subject to death threats and racial abuse online since the incident. He has protected his Twitter account and is reportedly “absolutely distraught” over the incident.
“The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night,” a team statement said on Sunday. “Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player, but also a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him. The Club will dearly miss him and will never ever forget him.”
Johnson, a native of Minnesota, was a former assistant captain of the hockey team at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In the 2016-17 season, he ranked second on the team in goals, points, and shots. He helped lead the team to an NCAA West Regional win and a National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff championship. Johnson also was selected to the NCHC All-Academic Team twice.
“We are deeply devastated to learn last evening of the passing of Adam Johnson,” the university said in a statement. “Adam was loved and admired by his teammates, coaches, and staff. As talented as he was on the ice, he was even a better person. Adam remained connected to the program, and for our time with him we are eternally grateful. Adam, we love you, we will miss you.”
Tragic Loss
Johnson left school early to go pro, and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 13 games during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons in the National Hockey League.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins join the entire hockey world in mourning the life of Adam Johnson, whose life tragically ended far too soon,” the Penguins said in a statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to Adam’s family and friends, as well as all of Adam’s past and present teammates and coaches. Adam will always be part of the Penguins family.”
The English Ice Hockey Association is making neck guards mandatory for its players after Dec. 31. Usually, the safety equipment is for hockey beginners. However, the elite divisions do not require the players to wear neck guards.
There have been other incidents of freak neck cuts during hockey gameplay. A high school sophomore in Connecticut named Teddy Balkind died after succumbing to a neck cut in a collision. In the NHL, Clint Malarchuk of the Buffalo Sabres had his neck cut during a game against the St. Louis Blues in 1989, but he survived the accident.
