Stunned girlfriend of tragic ice hockey star Adam Johnson ran onto the ice & prayed for him after ‘throat was slashed’

THE shocked girlfriend of ice hockey star Adam Johnson ran onto the ice and prayed for him after his throat was fatally slashed.

Nottingham Panthers confirmed during the early hours that the star player, 29, died after the accident.

Johnson’s mum Kari paid tribute to him on Facebook

Adam Johnson on the rink moments before the horror accident

Adam Johnson previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins

It has now emerged that Johnson’s partner ran onto the ice after the horrific accident to pray for him. Witnesses have said the players formed a ring around the player to provide privacy.

The horror was witnessed by thousands of spectators who were asked to leave the stadium after play was abandoned due to a “major medical emergency.”

Former NHL star Johnson, 29, suffered an accidental gash to his throat by rival player Matt Petgrave.

Fans, who had seen the incident described as “one in a million” told how the player was “absolutely distraught”.

Today weeping team mates and supporters lay flowers at a makeshift shrine for the popular new Nottingham Panthers’ forward who died during the fateful away match last night against Sheffield Steelers.

Fans flocked to the club’s base at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

“Love and support“

A sea of tributes, including flowers, heartfelt messages, a shirt and cup with the player’s number 47, were left by heartbroken supporters from both clubs.

Assistant coach Kevin Moore told the crowd they were “really grateful for all the love and support” shown.

He vowed: “As time goes on we are going to heal, we are going to do that together.

“We are going to be strong and will continue that way and we will do you guys proud.

“We appreciate you coming here today and we thank you for all your support.”

Panthers’ fan Hazel Woods, who had witnessed the tragedy, and came with her husband Mark to pay respects, said: “What happened was horrible and I can’t get the image out of my head.

“It is like a bad dream I can’t wake up from.”

Reliving the ordeal, the funeral director from Cambridge, said: “Suddenly during the match the blade stuck the player’s throat and there was blood everywhere. He tried to get to the side of the arena but came crashing down.

“His team mates looked horrified and banded together around him to shield him from the crowd. They were amazing.

“Then the paramedics arrived and a protective screen was put around. We were all praying and hoping he would make it but sadly he didn’t.

“Our hearts go out to his family and friends and team mates.I cannot imagine how they are feeling. We are feeling absolutely numb ourselves.

“It was a freak accident, totally tragic, and no one was to blame.”
Hazel, 46, added: “Normally there would be a lot of rivalry between the Panthers and Steelers but not today, we have put that aside.
“It’s the hockey family coming together.”

Fellow Nottingham fan Tina Taylor said: “It was a one in a million chance occurrence and will probably never happen again. It was a complete freak accident.”

Tina, who had not been at the match, but speculating on how it had happened, said: “Sheffield’s Petgrave had lost his balance and had gone down after a legal open ice check on another Nottingham player.

Adam was skating past in a less elevated position and in a split second the other player’s blade caught his neck.”

Tina, accompanied by two pals, said: “We needed to come down here to pay tribute because we feel Adam’s loss too. The ice hockey community is very tight knit and this is the place to be.

“Rivalry exists in the arena but not here today because we are all hurting.”

She told how the club had also lost a former season’s player, who was signing to Glasgow, in a car accident.

Tina added: “He was absolutely distraught by the death of an opponent but it was a tragic accident and he was not to blame.

Panthers ticket holder Julie Whitnum said: “What happened was just horrific and as part of the hockey family I wanted to pay respect to the player who lost his life.

“The accident was a one off, it was awful… it was not a deliberate or foul play.”

The emergency services were called out to the scene at around 8.20pm last night as Sheffield arena.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said last night: “We were called at 8:21 this evening to the Sheffield Steelers game at Sheffield arena.

“We attended a male and sent two ambulances and a critical care paramedic, and we sent one patient to hospital.”

Police at the scene after the accident

Johnson in action for the Penguins in March 2019