One of Adam Johnson’s Nottingham Panthers teammates reflected on the horrifying moment the former Pittsburgh Penguin suffered a fatal slash to his neck by an opponent’s skate on Saturday, calling it “the most traumatizing thing in his entire life.”
Victor Bjorkung, a Swedish defenseman for the English hockey club, was on the ice at the time and said he passed the puck to Johnson before Sheffield Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave’s skate cut Johnson’s neck, leading to Johnson’s death at the age of 29.
“I have tried to suppress a lot,” Bjorkung told Swedish outlet Expressen, as translated by the Nottingham Post.
“You are so shocked at the moment, everything goes so damn fast. One moment you have your friend there, the next second he’s gone.”
Bjorkung, 30, said the Panthers have met every day since Johnson’s death and the Panthers are working with psychologists and a trauma team.
“Being on the ice when a friend I hold close dies like that. It’s terrible. It went so damn fast,” Bjorkung said.
“I was a few meters away from him and I have a lot of memory gaps, but I have been told that I played the puck up to him on the left wing and then it takes a few seconds before… well, everyone knows what happens after that.”
Saturday’s game was stopped when Johnson’s neck was cut and the approximately 8,000 fans at Utilita Arena Sheffield were asked to leave the building.
The Elite Ice Hockey League postponed all of Sunday’s games.
The South Yorkshire Police are investigating Johnson’s death.
Johnson’s aunt, Kari Johnson, told South West News Service that she believes the actions that led to her nephew’s death were “very reckless” and the family is “looking for justice for Adam,” a Minnesota native.
“I think the actions were unnecessary,” Kari said. “It was just unnecessary. Nobody touched him. I’ve watched that video hundreds of times.
“That’s not a hockey play, that’s not a check. I understand that every team has an enforcer, per se, on their team.
“I’m sure Mr. Petgrave probably didn’t even think about the consequences could be of that happening, but there comes a time when you have to realize, that’s not hockey.
“And I’m sure he’s going through a lot too, but he took our boy. There are a few of us in the family that think it was a totally unnecessary, very, very bad action to take.”
