Professional ice hockey player Adam Johnson died due to a freak accident in October 2023. He succumbed to a cut in the neck sustained via the skating blade of an opponent. His partner Ryan Wolfe had the unfortunate job of identifying him at the hospital after his death. Let’s find out more about her relationship with Johnson.
Johnson was born on June 22, 1994, in the small town of Hibbing in Minnesota, USA. He was raised in Hibbing and began his junior hockey playing career with the Indiana Ice and Sioux City Musketeers, according to The Sun.
Further, The Sun reported, “Following his sophomore season with the Bulldogs in 2016/2017, netting 18 goals and tallied 37 points in 42 games, Johnson secured Minnesota Duluth’s berth in the 2017 Frozen Four when he scored an overtime, power-play goal to defeat Boston University.”
In 2017, Johnson signed a two-year entry-level contract with National Hockey League (NHL) side Pittsburg Penguin. He made his way to Europe after playing in his home country. Johnson played in Sweden for the Malmo Redhawks, in Germany for the Augsburger Panther, and lastly in England for the Nottingham Panthers.
Not much is known about his relationship with Ryan Wolfe but going by Wolfe’s Instagram account they were in a happy relationship. Wolfe posted a picture with Johnson for the first time in 2020. According to The Sun, they were living together in England while Johnson was studying further while playing ice hockey.
Adam Johnson was planning to propose to Ryan Wolfe soon
Wolfe was one of the 8,000 audience members attending the match between Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers in the Sheffield Arena. Johnson, playing for the Panthers, got his neck slashed by an opposition’s skating blade. He was immediately dripping blood.
News.com.au reports that Wolfe came down to the ice to be by her partner as players formed a ring around him before protective screens were brought in. She later traveled to the hospital where she had to identify Johnson’s body after he was pronounced dead.
Wolfe took to her Instagram Stories to write, “My sweet angel, I’ll miss you forever and love you always.”
Johnson’s aunt Kari revealed that he was planning to propose to Ryan soon. She said,, according to News.com.au, “We were all really excited because we were really looking forward to their future and he didn’t get a chance to ask her and then this happened.”
Johnson was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital. It is unclear when he exactly died but official statements from his team and the league were released the next morning after the match.