Arrest Made in Fatal Hockey Injury

Police in England say man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2023 3:25 PM CST
Arrest Made in Death of Hockey Player Cut by Skate
Floral tributes outside the Motorpoint Arena ahead of a memorial for Nottingham Panthers' ice hockey player Adam Johnson, in Nottingham, England, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.   (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

An arrest has been made in the death of an American hockey player who was fatally injured by a skate blade during a game in England last month. South Yorkshire Police say a man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter on Tuesday and he remains in custody, the BBC reports. Police did not name the suspect. Adam Johnson, a 29-year-old former NHL player, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers when his neck was cut by a skate during a game in Sheffield on Oct. 29. The AP reports that video of the incident shows Sheffield Steelers player Matt Petgrave colliding with another Panthers player as he skates toward Johnson.

As Petgrave fell to the ice, his leg flew up and his skate hit Johnson in the neck. Johnson was helped off the ice, with his jersey covered in blood, and 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 of the South Yorkshire Police said. "We have been speaking to highly specialized experts in their field to assist in our inquiries."

Horsfall urged the public to refrain "comment and speculation" that could "hinder" the investigation. In a post on X the day after Johnson's death, Nottingham teammate Westin Michaud said the team stands with Petgrave. "The hate that Matt is receiving is terrible and completely uncalled for," Michaud said, per the AP. "It's clear to me his actions were unintentional and anyone suggesting otherwise is mistaken. Let's come together and not spread unwarranted hate to someone who needs our support." (More hockey stories.)

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