Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player Adam Johnson died in a “freak accident” which involved Sheffield Steelers’ Matt Petgrave. The Panthers faced the Steelers on October 28, 2023, in a Challengers Cup match at the Sheffield Arena. Petgrave’s skating blade slashed Johnson’s neck during the match which led to the Panthers player’s unfortunate death.
Petgrave’s unruly past has come to light after this incident. Many on social media have claimed that Petgrave’s actions were deliberate and he should be punished for it. However, the South Yorkshire Police is investigating the matter.
JUST IN: Police are investigating the death of hockey player Adam Johnson after he got slashed in the neck by opposing team member Matt Petgrave’s skate.
Online social media users are split on whether the kick was intentional or an accident.
It is currently not completely clear… pic.twitter.com/7kJRFzPilr
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 30, 2023
The police claimed in a statement that in case of such a sudden death, investigations are are regular matter. The investigation is going to take time but the police have advised to not indulge in debates about the accident on social media. They did not mention Petgrave’s name in their statement.
Matt Petgrave has received several suspensions for foul play throughout his career
Canadian-born Petgrave spent the early years of his career in his home country. He later made a move to Europe and ended up at Sheffield Steelers in 2022. He was previously playing for Czechia side HC Dunamo Pardubice.
According to a detailed report by Heavy.com, Petgrave has a shocking past in the sport. He has received a known suspension as far back as 2010. At the time, he was around 18 years of age. According to the Canadian Hockey League in 2010, “Matt Petgrave will sit out the next five games for an infraction in the third period of last Saturday’s 9-4 win over Sarnia.”
NHL player Adam Johnson (29) died on live TV after Matt Petgrave slashed his throat with his skate
Petgrave has a history of bad behavior in the EIHL, including racking up the most penalty minutes (2022-2023 season) and getting booted out of games
The media quickly has declared… pic.twitter.com/dXW6iuuThP
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 30, 2023
Petgrave played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2009 to 2013 for the Niagara IceDogs, Owen Sound Attack, and Oshawa Generals. He spent his next four seasons in USports with the University of New Brunswick. Vredshockey.com states that in 2013-17, he was listed as having 328 career penalty minutes.
In 2018, he played for Brampton Beast in the ECHL, an ice hockey league based in New Jersey. That year, the ECHL announced that “Brampton’s Matt Petgrave has been suspended indefinitely and fined an undisclosed amount as a result of his actions in ECHL Game #963, Brampton at Kalamazoo, on April 7.”
During that period, he played for Syracuse, Laval, Belleville, and Utica in the AHL. He received several suspensions for various infringements during that time.
Here is another video of Matt Petgrave using a similar maneuver to raise his skate off of the ice to take out another player.
This appears to be a strategy of his to take out opposing players.
There is not much video available online of Matt Petgrave, since he has never played… pic.twitter.com/qc8mgMa4FI
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) November 2, 2023
3ice, in their profile for Petgrave, has written that he was “the EIHL’s most penalized player” while playing for the Sheffield Steelers.
Euro Hockey’s page says that he had 129 PIM or “penalty infraction minutes.” Heavy.com states that Petgrave has received penalties in his career for acts such as “tripping”, “holding”, and “spearing”.