Posted on 10/29/2023 7:26:42 AM PDT by Libloather
An ice hockey star who is believed to have taken a blade to his throat in a horrific injury during a game has died aged 29, his family have said.
Adam Johnson's injury was so horrific it forced the game to be abandoned and left traumatised fans in tears.
The Minnesota-born athlete is believed to have been stuck in the neck by an ice hockey blade in a freak accident at the match between Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers at Utilita Arena Sheffield this evening.
His mother Kari took to social media to share her heartbreak this morning - telling friends: 'I lost half of my heart today.'
And his club said they were 'truly devastated' by the news - paying tribute to 'a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him'.
The Elite Ice Hockey League said they were 'heartbroken' to confirm the 'deeply upsetting' news - and have postponed all games scheduled to take place today.
Devastated fans have taken to social media to share their grief for the Minnesota-born star, using the hashtag 'sticksoutfor47' - a reference to the number Mr Johnson wore.
Around 8,000 fans saw the nightmare collision last night before the game was quickly stopped and screens were brought onto the pitch to protect the players involved. The match was later abandoned.
Sharing the news, his club said: 'The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night.
'The Panthers would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Adam's family, his partner, and all his friends at this extremely difficult time.
'Everyone at the club including players, staff, management, and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam's passing.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Wow. This is one of those one-in-a-million type things.
I think there is such a thing as a slashing penalty, along with high sticking, etc.
This sounds like a crazy freak occurrence turned tragic. RIP.
I recall it happening in the NHL some years back. A goalie got slashed across his throat, even with the guard on. Rapid medical care helped save his life.
Normal slashi g is with a stick. This was in collision at center ice. Bodies do go flying unfortunately the blade of skate went across his throat
Clint Malarchuk nearly bleeds to death after taking a skate to the neck
Yes. See my post above. He never got over it.
My son plays. High School teams mandate rigid neck guards for all skaters. Ive seen kids get ejected from important games for discarding them during the game. The dangers are real. Skates are knives on your feet and a scrum at the net can get pretty physical.
If you want to see the video...
https://twitter.com/RealJohnMatrixx/status/1718605349362577897
I remember watching when Barry Ashbee to a puck to his eye. before helmets were required. Ended his career.
There were two “infamous” episodes in the NHL
Oddly, both happened in Buffalo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Malarchuk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Zedník
They didn’t say but I think Johnson was dead on the ice. They put screens up so folks couldn’t see.
I believe it was Clint Malarchuk, Buffalo Sabres. Team trainer was former Army Medic…
A few say it was on purpose - time will tell if the other guy is or not guilty.
Medic saved his life.
Those center ice contacts can be pretty brutal. Bodies fly all over the place. Not going to watch it, so can’t talk of players intent.
Yep, but one in a million might cause them to get rid of the blades and go to wheels!
When my brother was in high school, this happened to a hockey goalie at his school.
Skate blade to the neck during a game similarly killed a 16 year-old in Connecticut coming up on 2 years ago.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/news/teddy-balkind-hockey-player-death-mandatory-neck-guards/
Rare but not unheard of.
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