Photos of Adam Johnson line the ticket window booth at the Hibbing Memorial Building, in Hibbing, Minn., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, as part of a celebration of life ceremony for the hockey player and Hibbing native who was killed in a hockey accident on Oct. 28 while playing in England.Mark Sauer/The Associated Press
Police have made an arrest in the death of American hockey player Adam Johnson, who died last month after his neck was sliced by an opposing player during a game in Sheffield, England.
South Yorkshire police said on Tuesday that they arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter, although no charges were laid. The man, who was not identified, remains in custody. Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said that the police had been trying to piece together the events that led to the death of Mr. Johnson, calling on “highly specialized experts” to assist with the enquiries.
The incident occurred partway through the second period of the Nottingham Panthers’ game against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28. Steelers defenceman Matt Petgrave, 31, collided with Mr. Johnson, 29, as the Panthers forward stickhandled the puck up the ice. As Mr. Petgrave fell, his left leg rose and his skate blade cut Mr. Johnson’s throat. He died later in hospital.
Mr. Johnson’s death has shaken the hockey community in England and abroad. More than 3,000 people attended a memorial ceremony for him in Nottingham on Nov. 4 and another commemoration was held two days later in his hometown of Hibbing, Minn.
He’d only been with the Panthers since August. The Elite Ice Hockey League club was his latest stop in a career that wound through the University of Minnesota-Duluth, an assortment of minor-league teams, a 13-game stint with the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins and clubs in Sweden and Germany.
Mr. Petgrave, who is from Toronto, is in his second season with the Steelers and led the team in scoring last year. Like Mr. Johnson, he too has been a hockey journeyman, playing for more than a dozen teams in the Ontario Hockey League, U Sports, the ECHL, the American Hockey League and leagues in Czechia and Slovakia.
“Adam’s death has sent shock waves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world,” Det. Supt. Horsfall said. “We know these communities will expect us to handle this investigation with the same professionalism, fairness and sensitivity as any other and request that members of the public refrain from comment and speculation which could hinder this process.”
The Steelers played their first home game since Mr. Johnson’s death last Sunday and the 8,000 fans gave Mr. Petgrave a standing ovation. There were also two minutes of silence for Mr. Johnson.
The Panthers will play their first game on Saturday against the Manchester Storm in what the club has called the “Adam Johnson Memorial Game.” Players will wear special AJ47 jerseys, which will be sold after the game.
The club said all profits from the sale of tickets, jerseys and merchandise will be donated to the Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund. “We want to honour Adam and everything about who he was as a person and a player,” said Omar Pacha, the club’s chief executive.
The tragedy has prompted calls for neck guards to be mandatory at all levels of hockey. The English Ice Hockey Association, the governing body for the sport in England, has made the protection compulsory for all amateur players and USA Hockey is considering a similar move.
However, the Elite League has said that for now it will only “strongly encourage” players to wear the protection. The NHL has also left it up to players to decide whether to wear neck guards.
