Saturday night’s horrifying incident that led to the death of Adam Johnson, a player with the Nottingham Panthers in Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League, has rocked the sporting world.
It has prompted a UK police investigation and a review of safety requirements in the sport, particularly around whether neck guards should now be mandatory for players.
The reverberations will continue to be felt for many weeks, and possibly years, to come. But what do we know — and what happens next?
What happened exactly?
Johnson, 29, had arrived in England three months ago after spells with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malmo Redhawks of Sweden, Ontario Reign and Augsburger Panther in Germany.
He was playing in a Challenge Cup match at the Sheffield Arena on October 28 when he was cut in the neck by the skate of Sheffield Steelers player Matt Petgrave, 31.
The collision, witnessed by 8,000 spectators, happened in the 35th minute of the game, which began at 7pm UK time.
Johnson briefly stood up, bleeding heavily, and was helped to the side of the rink by the referee and a team-mate before collapsing again. Players surrounded Johnson and tried to help him using whatever means possible.
He received immediate medical attention, with CPR performed on the ice until an ambulance arrived.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had been called out at 8.21pm on Saturday evening to attend Sheffield Arena following “an incident on the ice”. Two ambulances and a critical care paramedic attended.
Johnson briefly got his pulse back in the ambulance but later died at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital. His girlfriend Ryan Wolfe, who had moved to Nottingham with him for the 2023-24 season, was also present at the hospital.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “My sweet sweet angel. I’ll miss you forever and love you always.”
Kari Johnson, Adam’s aunt, said she and his father, Davey, had watched the incident unfold on a livestream of the game, which was abandoned following the incident.
“It was horrific,” she told KSTP-TV in Minnesota. “Nobody should have to live through what we saw.” She added: “He didn’t make it through surgery once they got him to the hospital. They just couldn’t get the bleeding to stop.”
Johnson is also survived by his mother Susan, older brother Ryan, and grandmother Marilyn.
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What has been said about the circumstances surrounding Johnson’s death?
In a statement released on the day of the incident, the Panthers, who play in the Elite Ice Hockey League, said the death was a “freak accident” and they were “devastated”.
But in response to claims on social media that Petgrave had deliberately kicked Johnson, Panthers player Victor Bjorkung made his own statement, saying he did not blame him for the incident.
He told Swedish newspaper Expressen: “What Matt (Petgrave) has experienced is unimaginable. I don’t understand how some people can behave, it’s inhuman. I have texted him and expressed how I feel about everything and I support him. No one in our team thinks it’s his fault, quite the opposite. We are a big family and he can contact us if he needs it. I was a couple of metres away, so if anyone experienced it as it really was, then it was me.”
Westin Michaud, 27, another of Johnson’s team-mates, also defended Petgrave.
Not everyone, however, shares that view. Kari Johnson said that the family were looking for justice for Johnson and wanted a “complete investigation”.
“I just want them to get it right”, she said. “You don’t take your leg and kick somebody and cut their throat. There are a few of us that think it was a very, very bad action to take.”
Two former Canadian professional players, Sean Avery and Chris Therien, have criticised Petgrave.
Speaking on Fox, Avery claimed Petgrave made a move that was unusual. “Do I think that he was trying to make contact of some sort? Absolutely,” he said. “Do I think that he woke up and said, ‘I’m going to murder somebody today?’ No.”
Petgrave is yet to comment on Saturday’s tragic incident. The Athletic have asked Sheffield Steelers whether they plan to issue a statement on his behalf.
What are the UK authorities saying?
On Tuesday afternoon, South Yorkshire Police — the force taking charge of the investigation into Johnson’s death — said its inquiry “remains ongoing” and will likely “take some time”.
It said detectives had been reviewing footage, talking to witnesses and seeking the advice and support of highly specialised experts to try to fully understand what happened. It has also been working closely with Sheffield City Council’s health and safety department, which is supporting the investigation.
Officers have now left the scene. Police urged the public to avoid speculation, including on social media, about what happened.
An inquest date has not yet been set but the opening is on Friday morning in Sheffield. This is essentially a procedural hearing, where the coroner formally announces they are investigating a death. They tend to only take a few minutes and are adjourned to a future date.
What are the current rules on neck guards in the UK?
At present, all players in the UK can play without neck guards once they turn 18. However, the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA), which covers all the levels below the Elite League in which Johnson played, already “strongly recommends” all players wear them. This will become mandatory from January 1, 2024.
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), the highest level of ice hockey competition in the UK, has yet to comment on whether or not it will make neck guards mandatory following Johnson’s death.
The Athletic asked the league what safety measures might be introduced after the incident but has yet to receive a reply.
On Monday, Oxford City Stars, who play in Division One South and have Petr Cech, the former Chelsea football goalkeeper, in their squad, announced they were making neck guards mandatory.
Scottish Ice Hockey and Ice Hockey UK — which runs the Great Britain national team — already make neck guards compulsory. They are already mandatory in some countries, such as Finland and Sweden. USA Hockey has previously recommended they follow suit.
On Monday, decorated former Canadian player Hayley Wickenheiser tweeted: “I know it may not pass the ‘cool’ factor but it’s time for mandatory neck protection at every level in hockey. The risk is far too great not to.”
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What are the medical provisions at Elite Ice Hockey League matches?
A spokesperson for Sheffield Steelers confirmed to The Athletic they have a qualified team doctor who is present at every match. They added there are no ambulances on site for any matches in the division.
There is no requirement to have a medical professional on the bench for EIHA matches below the top division. St John Ambulance, a UK first aid charity made up of trained volunteers who provide emergency treatment, including at many sports events, does not cover ice hockey matches.
The Athletic asked the EIHL to explain its medical regulations and whether it will change its policies but has not yet received a reply.
Has this happened before?
Incidents such as the one that claimed Johnson’s life are rare but not unprecedented.
Teddy Balkind, a 16-year-old American high school student, died after his neck was cut by another player’s skate during a match in Connecticut in January 2022.
A year earlier, Russian player Timur Faizutdinov, 19, who was playing for Dynamo Saint Petersburg’s junior team, was hit in the head by the puck during a game. It damaged a carotid artery and he died four days later.
Bengt Akerblom, 28, a Swedish professional player, died when his throat was cut by a skate in October 1995. This led to the mandatory wearing of neck guards in Sweden.
Could Petgrave face police action?
Any criminal charges would rely on police presenting sufficiently strong evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) — the independent body that prosecutes criminal cases in the UK — for them to decide to pursue a case.
But Dev Kumar Parmar, an international sports lawyer and principal director at Parmars, said it would be very difficult for the CPS to bring criminal proceedings against Petgrave.
He told The Athletic: “From a theoretical perspective, it can happen. If they wanted to prosecute, they would be looking to show the action that took place was beyond the standard that would be accepted on the rink and the rules of ice hockey.
“It would be something that surpasses the reasonable expectation and the understanding of risk that the victim would have taken when he went onto the rink. If it was something that went above and beyond all of that, then it would be deemed to be ‘sufficiently grave’ and you could then try and open a criminal prosecution.
“But from a practical perspective, the Crown Prosecution Service is going to want to see a reasonable prospect of conviction in the first instance and then when they see that, they are going to want to push to go all the way to secure that conviction, which is at a higher standard now. To do that, you would need to prove this was more than a freak accident. Practically, I see very little chance.”
What about a civil case?
Even if no criminal charges are brought, it is possible that Petgrave could face a civil action.
“The standard for proof is lower,” Parmar explained. “In a civil case, you are not asking for a jury to be sure beyond reasonable doubt that someone has committed a crime, you are asking a judge to assess on the balance of probabilities whether there is enough evidence to say the claimant’s case is stronger than the defendant’s.”
What could be the consequences of the case?
Dan Chapman, partner and head of sport and employment at UK law firm Leathes Prior, explained how tragic deaths had led to significant changes in other sports.
“The principle is because there was a fatality, it goes beyond the power of the sporting body to deal with it as they see fit,” he said.
“Health and safety executives will be involved and they will be looking at whether the governing body of the sport, the team in question or the venue hasn’t provided safe equipment — there have been such investigations in horse racing over the years, for example, when there has been a fatality. They will have a duty to explore whether there was any negligence or any avoidable incidents or whether it was just tragic and bizarre circumstances.
“In motorsport, when Henry Surtees died in 2009 — when he was hit by the wheel of another car at Brands Hatch — there was such an investigation and the conclusion was it was nobody’s fault. But it prompted the introduction of the ‘halo’ cockpit protection because it became clear that additional protections were needed.
“This case could end up in prosecutions, litigations or it could end up, as in motorsport, where everyone concludes they need to change the way the safety guards are worn.”
In the short term, Nottingham Panthers — along with the rest of the Elite League — postponed the match they were due to play last Sunday. They also called off Tuesday’s game against Glasgow Clan, Saturday’s meeting with Cardiff Devils and the away match at Glasgow on Sunday.
They have invited ice hockey fans to gather at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday evening to pay tribute to Johnson. Fans will be invited onto the ice, which will be carpeted, to sign books of condolence.
Games involving other Elite League games are due to restart on Saturday.
(Top photos: Adam Johnson and Matt Petgrave; John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images; Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
