On Oct. 28th, in a horrifying accident that shocked the hockey world, Adam Johnson of the Nottingham Panthers in Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), was killed during an on-ice collision when an opponent’s skate came up and cut his throat.
Johnson was soon transferred to a Sheffield hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Johnson was a former NHL player, and, having suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins as recently as the 2019-20 season, his death quickly sent waves through the international hockey community.
The EIHL immediately introduced a neck guard mandate, coming into effect 2024, with many individual players following suit. The Providence Bruins of the AHL notably all wore neck guards in their game the following day.
Johnson had made many friends in his time around the NHL, all of whom were profoundly affected by the tragedy.
“I haven’t really understood it yet,” said Alex Iaffalo, winger for the Winnipeg Jets. Iafallo and Johnson played two seasons together at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
“I didn’t know I could cry so much,” said Jet’s defenceman Neal Pionk. “It just doesn’t seem real.” Johnson was a groomsman at Pionk’s wedding in 2022.
In a heartbreaking revelation, Johnson’s girlfriend of three years also disclosed that she had found an engagement ring in their apartment. Johnson had apparently bought the ring before they left for England earlier this year and planned to propose.
However, in the face of all of this, the most prevalent story is the criminal investigation into Matt Petgrave, the player whose skate cut Johnson’s neck.
After the incident occurred, a considerable amount of momentum began building online behind the idea that Petgrave may have had malicious intentions.
Looking at videos of the incident in slow-motion and pointing out the fact that Petgrave is the EIHL’s leader in penalty minutes, corners of the internet began to suggest that Petgrave may have intended to hurt Johnson.
In the days following, Johnson’s death became so sensationalized that even people who never interacted with the sport began chiming in.
“We wholeheartedly stand with Matt Petgrave.” wrote Johnson’s teammate, Westin Michaud in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), “The hate that Matt is receiving is terrible and completely uncalled for. I was at ice level on the bench closest to the accident, I saw both players moving fast. It’s clear to me his actions were unintentional and anyone suggesting otherwise is mistaken.”
Unsurprisingly, Petgrave has been “absolutely distraught” after the incident, a feeling only compounded by the torrent of online abuse he has received in the aftermath.
Petgrave—who is a black man—has received death threats, harassment and alarmingly racist messages.
“What Matt has experienced is unimaginable,” said Victor Bjorkung, another teammate of Johnson’s. “I don’t understand how some people can behave, it’s inhuman. It’s so insane that people think its deliberate. [Anyone who thinks so] can go to Hell.”
Nevertheless, the South Yorkshire Police said that they would be looking into the incident and, on Tuesday, announced that Petgrave had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Convicting someone for a death that occurred within the scope of a dangerous, full-contact sport may be difficult to prove. Due to certain assumptions of risk, the bar for criminal intent is much higher. A notable instance where this has occurred was in 2004 when Todd Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to criminal assault after injuring Steve Moore with a violent cross-check to the head.
However, the court also showed that this attack was premeditated. Bertuzzi had talked openly about getting payback against Steve Moore after Moore hit Bertuzzi’s teammate. There is no evident premeditation in Petgrave’s case.
Though it is unfortunate that this tragic accident is under investigation at all, there is no doubt if it gets to court that the judgement will be precedent setting.