Officials in the U.K. announced Tuesday that an arrest has been made in the death of Adam Johnson, a 29-year-old hockey player from Hibbing, Minnesota.
While officials haven't confirmed the identity of the suspect, hockey player Matt Petgrave was the skater whose blade cut Adam Johnson's neck during a game last month.
The assumption is that the arrested individual is Sheffield hockey player Matt Petgrave, whose skate struck Johnson in the neck during the Oct. 28 game. Horrific video of the play saw Johnson fall to the ice and then attempt to skate to the bench while holding his neck. Blood covered the ice and Johnson was later pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.
"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," South Yorkshire Police Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said in the release.
The dangers related to ice hockey skates have long been known, with several NHL players having suffered similar injuries on a much bigger stage, with live television cameras capturing such developments.
A post-mortem undertaken on Johnson's body revealed that the cause of death was a fatal neck injury, as was revealed by South Yorkshire Police, however they are now shifting their attention to what exactly caused that injury.
Social media debate ensued in the days that followed over whether Petgrave had deliberately kicked out his skate while being hit or could have avoid making contact with Johnson. After spending the past few weeks investigating Johnson’s death, the British police evidently saw enough to charge Petgrave with a crime.
“We have been carrying out extensive inquiries to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall of the South Yorkshire Police, per the BBC. “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.”
The Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos have indefinitely suspended head coach Devan Praught for an alleged violation of the league’s standards of conduct.
Praught, 36, is alleged to have violated league rules on the ice during the Broncos’ team practice on Monday. Assistant coach Taras McEwen will serve as head coach during Praught’s suspension.
The Broncos currently occupy ninth place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 9–9–1 record and 19 points through 19 games this season.
Praught is in his second full year as head coach of the Broncos after taking over on an interim basis midway through the 2021–22 season, which he had started as an assistant coach under Dean Brockman.
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