Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in Adam Johnson’s death،
A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, South Yorkshire Police announced Tuesday.
The arrest comes more than two weeks after police began investigating the incident that led to Johnson’s death on October 28. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) when his throat was cut by a skate blade during a game. collision during a Champions Cup match in Sheffield, England against the Sheffield Steelers. Johnson was 29 years old.
South Yorkshire Police said in a statement that a post mortem confirmed Johnson died from a fatal neck injury. The man, whose identity has not been released by police, is still in custody.
“Our investigation was launched immediately after this tragedy and we have carried out extensive inquiries since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” South Yorkshire Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said. “We have spoken to highly specialized experts in their field to help us with our investigations and continue to work closely with Sheffield City Council’s health and safety department, who are supporting our ongoing investigation.”
The player whose skate blade cut Johnson’s neck was Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield.
Johnson’s death has since prompted a number of different leagues across the sport to examine their player safety measures when it comes to potentially using neck protection devices.
It all started when the English Ice Hockey Association announced two days after Johnson’s death that it would make neck guards compulsory from 2024 as part of a three-step plan.
Although any mandate at the NHL level must be agreed to by the NHL Players’ Association, some NHL players have begun wearing neck guards during practices and games.
Johnson’s former NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, said it would require its AHL and ECHL affiliates to wear neck protection devices. A few days later, the Western Hockey League announced that it would make the wearing of neck protection mandatory for its players.
