Adam Johnson was taking part in a professional game in England when a skate from another player cut his neck. Johnson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A 29-year-old hockey player is dead after he was slashed in the neck during a hockey game by another player’s skate.
What looked like a regular hockey collision on the ice ended up being a devastating tragedy. The skate of one player hit another player in the neck.
Kari Johnson was home in Minnesota watching her nephew, former National Hockey League player Adam Johnson, take part in a professional game in England. That is when she saw her stricken nephew, with blood streaming, being taken off the ice.
Adam was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“In all of my 50-some years of playing and watching hockey, I have never ever seen something like that,” Kari says.
Police are investigating the tragedy, calling it “standard practice with all unexpected and sudden deaths.”
“This is just my opinion, I do believe the kick was deliberate,” Kari tells Inside Edition.
How sharp can hockey blades be? Sports store manager Michael Osinga says he has scars on his hand from sharpening steel on skates.
After the news of the death of the professional player, the NHL is in discussions about whether or not neck guards should be required for all players.
“Neck guards are the easiest and quickest prevention and it should be a no-brainer,” Osinga says. “It’s going to save your life if a skate hits your neck.”
In a separate incident earlier this year, West Point hockey player Eric Huss survived a similar injury to his neck.
“That combination of how sharp they are and how fast the game is moving, it almost makes them a weapon,” Huss tells Inside Edition.
Huss now wears a neck guard and thinks they should be mandatory. “I don’t know how you can argue against them,” Huss says.
Adam Johnson’s former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, paid tribute to him Monday night.
Inside Edition was unable to reach the other player involved in the collision but he is said to be distraught.
USA Hockey, which governs youth teams across the country, does not require neck guards.
