Police investigating the death of the professional ice hockey player Adam Johnson have arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter.
Johnson, 29, died after appearing to receive a catastrophic cut to his neck from the skate blade of another player during a Challenge Cup game between his team, Nottingham Panthers, and Sheffield Steelers on 30 October.
About 8,000 people were in the crowd for the Saturday night match at Sheffield Arena. Witnesses said the incident was horrific and left many fans in tears as the match was abandoned.
On Tuesday, South Yorkshire police said: “Detectives have today arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter. He remains in police custody at this time.
“On Saturday 28 October, Adam, aged 29, was seriously injured during a game between Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers and was sadly later pronounced deceased in hospital. A postmortem examination confirmed he died as a result of a fatal neck injury.”
DCS Becs Horsfall said: “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.
“We have been speaking to highly specialised 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.
“Adam’s death has sent shock waves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world. We know these communities will expect us to handle this investigation with the same professionalism, fairness and sensitivity as any other and request that members of the public refrain from comment and speculation which could hinder this process. Our thoughts remain with all affected by this devastating incident as inquiries continue.”
Police have not named the man arrested.
Johnson, originally from Minnesota in the US, signed for Nottingham Panthers in August after a career that included spells playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malmö Redhawks in Sweden and Augsburger Panther in Germany.
Many tributes have been paid to Johnson. Omar Pacha, the Panthers chief executive, said: “Adam’s sense of humour, his humbleness, his unselfishness, his contagious smile and his ability to be kind and respectful to everybody at the club were his standout features.”
At the opening of an inquest into Johnson’s death, the Sheffield coroner Tanyka Rawden called for neck guards to be made compulsory in the sport.
In a report about the prevention of ice hockey deaths in the UK, Rawden said she was “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn”.
Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) were given 56 days to reply about what action has been taken, or why action has not been taken.
The EIHA said neck guards would become mandatory from 2024, but the Elite League is not under its control. The Elite League, in which the Panthers and Steelers compete, has said it will not make the use of neck guards mandatory but will “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them after the tragedy.
Reacting to news of an arrest from her home in Kelly Lake, Minnesota, Adam’s aunt Kari Johnson said: “We’re just going to have to let it play out and see what happens. Whatever they’d decided, I would have had to live with it. But I’m just glad they are being diligent with doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
