A United States ice hockey player has been rebailed following his arrest on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of Adam Johnson.
Johnson suffered the horrific injury while playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on October 28 2023 when Matt Petgrave’s skate slashed his throat at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
Despite valiant efforts to try and save him, the ice hockey star died in hospital. A post-mortem examination confirmed his cause of death as a neck injury.
South Yorkshire Police arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter in November 2023 before baling him until January 2024.
The force have now revealed he has been re-bailed until May 29 this year.
A South Yorkshire Police statement read: “Any further updates or developments in this investigation ahead of the new bail expiry date will be issued proactively on our website.
“Our thoughts remain with Adam’s family and friends.”
The 29-year-old (pictured with his partner Ryan Wolfe) died of a fatal neck injury following a collision on the ice
Matt Petgrave, pictured while playing for the Utica Comets, was involved in a collision with Johnson on the ice during the match in Sheffield last month
Mr Johnson’s death shocked the ice hockey world, especially as the incident was witnessed by thousands of fans at the arena in Sheffield.
Victor Bjorkung who was part on the ice rink that day playing against the Steelers said: ‘It still feels unreal. I think about it every day, more or less. I do get a lot of flashbacks, and they’re not very pleasant.’
In January last year, Sheffield’s senior coroner, Tanyka Rawden, suspended her investigation while the police inquiry took its course.
It emerged later that Ms Rawden had issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) about the use of neck guards in the sport.
In the report, the coroner said she is ‘sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn’, with the bodies given 56 days to say what action has been taken – or why action has not been taken.
Petgrave has never been named by police but a crowd-funding page claiming to belong to him was launched in December to help fight allegations of man slaughter – thought it is unclear if the page is legitimate – and it was his skate who hit Johnson.
The player was told to remain in the United Kingdom while under investigation, and this is the eighth time he has been bailed. First on February 9, then April 25, May 14, June 26, September 2, November 11 and January 20.
Neck guards have been mandatory in the Elite League (EIHL), in which the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers compete, since January 1.
Johnson (ringed), seen seconds before the incident at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena on October 28
The clash took place during a match between the Panthers and the Steelers in front of around 8,000 fans
The Minnesota-born former NHL star was laid to rest in his hometown of Hibbing last week
This followed the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision in December to mandate the use of neck laceration protectors for its competitions.
Mr Johnson had joined the Nottingham Panthers in August after spells in Germany and Sweden.
He previously played 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins in North America’s National Hockey League, the sport’s elite club competition.
