Manslaughter arrest in death of hockey player whose neck was cut with skate blade during U.K. game
By The Canadian Press
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Toronto (CTV Network) — SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM – Police in England arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game. Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in an Elite Ice Hockey League game Oct. 28 when the blade cut his neck.
South Yorkshire Police did not name the suspect or provide his age. He was in police custody.
The player who cut Johnson’s neck was Matt Petgrave, 31, a Toronto native who plays for Sheffield.
Video of the incident shows Johnson skating with the puck toward the Steelers net. Petgrave skates toward Johnson and collides with another Panthers player. Petgrave’s left skate kicks up as he begins to fall and the blade hits Johnson in the neck.
Both players land on the ice. Petgrave immediately got to his feet. Johnson rose more slowly and as he is helped off the ice, his jersey is covered in blood. He later died at a local hospital.
“Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said.
Fans had a moment of silence for Johnson at the Steelers next game and gave Petgrave a standing ovation.
Johnson was a Minnesota native who appeared in a total of 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020.
Petgrave played junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals, Owen Sound Attack and Niagara Ice Dogs.
He later spent four years at the University of New Brunswick before turning professional in 2016. He bounced between the ECHL and American Hockey League before heading to Europe in 2021 to play in Slovakia.
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