Nottingham team hosting memorial game honoring Adam Johnson،
NOTTINGHAM, England — A makeshift shrine to Adam Johnson continues to grow outside the arena where the Nottingham Panthers play hockey.
Fans left flowers, wreaths, jerseys, team scarves and handwritten notes to honor the American who died after an opposing player’s skate cut his neck during a game last month in Sheffield. Johnson was 29 years old.
“We’re not just hockey fans, we’re a hockey family,” Panthers fan Margaret Cartwright said Saturday.
The former Pittsburgh Penguins player’s death not only forced the sport to reexamine safety rules, but also sparked a local criminal investigation that led to the arrest of a man on suspicion of manslaughter.
The Panthers have not played since the Oct. 28 game and will take the ice Saturday at Motorpoint Arena against the Manchester Storm in a memorial game “to celebrate Adam’s life and the remarkable person he was,” the Panthers said. ‘team.
The match, which will be broadcast for free on YouTube, does not count in the Elite Ice Hockey League rankings. Instead, it’s about bringing players and fans together as they try to move forward.
Panthers players received a standing ovation when they came out for warmups and some waved and chatted with fans between shots.
A special tribute to Johnson is planned before the opening faceoff and the 10,000 spectators in the sold-out venue will be invited to stand in the 47th minute – Johnson wore jersey No. 47 – for a minute of applause.
An autopsy confirmed Johnson died from a neck injury. Police made an arrest on Tuesday and the person was released on bail a day later. South Yorkshire Police did not identify the suspect or provide his age. He was arrested on Tuesday and released on bail a day later.
Matt Petgrave, a Sheffield Steelers defender, was the other player involved in the incident. Johnson had skated with the puck beyond the blue line – into Sheffield’s defensive zone – when Petgrave collided with another Panthers player. Petgrave’s left skate rose as he began to fall and the blade struck Johnson in the neck.
Neither the Steelers nor the league have provided an update on Petgrave’s status. His agent declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press this week.
“Everyone is dealing with this in their own way, some are negative. The majority of us are trying to be positive,” Cartwright said. “It was just a really, really unfortunate accident. The poor guy who caused it has to live with this for the rest of his life. I think that should be punishment enough. No one would do that deliberately – no one. is just like that. happened, in a split second something went wrong and unfortunately we lost poor Adam.
The Minnesota native was in his first season in Nottingham – a city in central England known as the home of Robin Hood – after stints in Germany and a handful of games for the Penguins during the 2018-19 and 2019 seasons. -20. He lived in Nottingham with his American girlfriend.
The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, responded to Johnson’s death by requiring all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of 2024.
The Sheffield match was part of the league’s Challenge Cup – like the FA Cup football tournament in Britain – but the Panthers have since withdrawn from that competition. They will resume their season against the Belfast Giants on November 26.