Ice hockey: Nottingham Panthers pay tribute to late player Johnson
The Nottingham Panthers paid tribute to the late Adam Johnson by hosting a memorial game at Motorpoint Arena on Saturday (November 18) as they returned to the ice for the first time since his death.
The 29-year-old American died last month after being seriously injured in a match against the Sheffield Steelers.
Forward Johnson’s neck was cut by another player’s skate blade during the match in Sheffield, northern England, in what his club called a “abnormal incident”.
Johnson, who joined the Panthers in August after playing in Germany and Sweden as well as the National Hockey League (NHL) in the United States, later died in hospital.
That match was abandoned and on Saturday the Panthers played their first match since the incident against Manchester Storm.
Players, wearing commemorative jerseys, gathered at center ice and banged their sticks in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 chanting Johnson’s name.
There was a minute’s applause after 47 minutes of play in honor of Johnson, whose number 47 jersey will be retired.
Home fans have been paying their respects outside Panthers arena since the death of the former Pittsburgh Penguins player.
British police announced earlier this week that a man had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following Johnson’s death.
