Hockey Player’s Death After On-Ice Incident Leads To Manslaughter Indictment In UK – Update

deadline.com:

UPDATED, 3:20 PM: Police in England have arrested a man in connection with the death of hockey player Adam Johnson, who was gravely injured during a game in Sheffield last month.

Authorities did not identify the person who was charged with manslaughter but said he remained in custody Tuesday. The arrest by South Yorkshire Police comes two weeks after Johnson of the Nottingham Panthers was injured during an October 28 Champions Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League.

He collided with Steelers defenseman Matt Pergrave, whose leg came up and slashed Johnson’s throat. Johnson died later that night at a hospital.

He was 29. Police said a postmortem exam showed that Johnson, who played seven games with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins over two seasons from 2018-20, died from a neck injury. “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,” South Yorkshire Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said. “We have been speaking to highly specialized experts in their field to assist in our inquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.” Johnson’s death has led several pro and amateur hockey leagues to consider or implement the use of protective neck gear on the ice.