Posted on 04/29/2025 11:41:30 AM PDT by Red Badger
Matt Petgrave, the man who slashed the throat of ice hockey player Adam Johnson in October 2023, will not face any charges, UK prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Petgrave was arrested in November 2023 on suspicion of manslaughter and was immediately released on bail.
Former NHL player Adam Johnson, 29, died from a massive injury to his neck during a game in 2023.
The former Pittsburgh Penguins player took a skate blade to the neck. He was playing in England for the Nottingham Panthers when an opposing player’s blade cut his neck during a ‘collision.’
Video of the incident shows Matt Petgrave appear to intentionally kick his skate toward Johnson’s throat.
The skate blade sliced Johnson’s throat. He later died at the hospital.
WATCH (warning: graphic):
VIDEO AT LING......................
On Tuesday, Michael Quinn, the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, said his office concluded that there was no real prospect of conviction for a criminal offense.
“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offense and so there will not be a prosecution. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson,” Michael Quinn said, according to the BBC.
The BBC reported:
No criminal charges will be brought against a professional ice hockey player arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of Adam Johnson.
The Nottingham Panthers player, 29, died after suffering a neck injury from a skate during a collision with Sheffield Steelers’ Matt Petgrave on 28 October 2023.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it worked with South Yorkshire Police to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought.
“We have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution,” Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said.
Mr Quinn added: “This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident.
“The CPS and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely together to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against the other ice hockey player involved.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”
Illegal hit on another player and a high kick to the head of adam, You don’t have to look boo-boo.. just don’t.
I am not a hockey fan so I don’t have a dog in this fight, but just watching the video It looks like an intentional kick, not accidental, which would be manslaughter....................
If he was Whitey McWhite, he would have been prosecuted. Guaranteed. It was deliberate.
Nah. Everyone does a high karate side kick all the time in ice hockey.
Is the KILLER BLACK ?
I played hockey for many years, so I looked at the video without knowing anything about the players involved.
I was prepared to be impartial, and on the first viewing, I was inclined to think it was one of those things that happened.
But when I viewed a second time, frame by frame...it looked filthy dirty to me.
Then I viewed it at .25 speed, and if definitely looked dirty.
The first time at full speed, I have seen a lot of guys get hip checked in the lower extremities causing the limb to fly like that. But in looking at it in slow motion, I saw no impact that would cause that.
It looked to me like he simply threw his leg into the air. Not sure if they could prove anything, but I sure didn’t see any good hit on him that would throw his leg into the air like that.
And looking at it one last time-he deliberately threw his leg up into the air to impede the progress of the now-dead player when it appeared he was going to cut over behind the accused, parallel to the blue line, and would have probably have been able to make a move on goal and get off a good shot or pass.
As I said, they might not be able to prove anything, but to a hockey player it seems evident to me it wasn’t a freak accident. It was a stupid intent to impede, and resulted in a person’s death.
Petgrave had, as the Brits say, form for this kind of conduct.
The victim’s loved ones could always fund a private prosecution.
Or sue the living hell out of the league and Petgrave.
I’ve never played hockey, never ice skated, So I know nothing of the game or its physics.
But to me it looked totally deliberate.................
I am reminded of Scott Adams.
Yes.
So am I.
It’s them again, Yogi.
Hockey is a full contact sport, so I have to give the offender the benefit of a doubt.
Hard rubber pucks are flying around at over 100 MPH.
They “check” each other frequently, often against a wall.
Violent fights are common, at least once a game.
This is like charging a boxer with a crime because he hit his opponent too hard.
So the difference between intent to maim and kill vs intent to live up to the audience expectations may be hard to prove for a prosecutor.
The race thing may or may not have anything to do with it.
I never played ice hockey . BUT I did play BB for a time , and had a pretty mean game of ping pong when I was young. So you DO get an idea of motion/physics..plays whatever you would call it.
I look at it and it seems suspicious. He looked right at the player then flung up his skate and leg. I doubt if he is good enough to intentionally slash a throat but I think, in typical brute fashion, he recognized an opportunity to get away with a dirty play and hurt someone.
Probably manslaughter.
And yes the king wears no clothes.
It’s not about race, but whether the act was deliberate or accidental...........
I get it, but as another poster said, ‘checking’ in Hockey is common, so how does anyone know the mind of the player unless he comes out and confesses to trying to decapitate the the other player?
Someone should slash his throat the same way. I mean, since it is not a crime.
Scott Adams was right again.
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