By Canadian Press

Jets send prayers to former NHLer Adam Johnson after severe injury in England

Oct 28, 2023 | 11:37 PM

MONTREAL — Members of the Winnipeg Jets expressed their support for Adam Johnson, a former NHL player who suffered a serious injury while playing professionally in England on Saturday, leading to the game being abandoned.

According to multiple local outlets and The Athletic, Johnson appeared to suffer a serious cut to his neck from a skate blade in a Challenger Cup game between the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers.

The Panthers posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the game was stopped because of a bad injury at 33:47 before announcing that fans were asked to leave due to a “major medical emergency” nine minutes later.

The BBC reported that a player had been taken to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.

“Our condolences go to the Johnson family, this is a hockey world and it’s a hockey tragedy and we have a lot of guys that have close ties and connections to him and his family,” said interim Jets head coach Scott Arniel after a game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

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“Our hearts go out to them and it’s another tough day in the hockey world.”

Johnson, a former teammate of several Jets players in college and the American Hockey League, plays for the Panthers of England’s top circuit, the Elite Ice Hockey League.

The 29-year-old from Grand Rapids, Minn., scored an NHL goal and had two assists in 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins split between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

“He was a teammate of some of the guys here on our team,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon. “The hockey community is a small community and everybody is sending love and prayers to his family.”

Before making the jump to professional hockey, Johnson played for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs from 2015-2017, where he played with current Jets Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Dominic Toninato.

“Our thoughts are with Adam Johnson, his family, friends, and teammates,” the University of Minnesota-Duluth Men’s Hockey account posted to X. “Bulldog Country is sending our best wishes following his injury tonight with the Nottingham Panthers and hoping for a positive update.”

Johnson also played 257 games in the AHL, where he played with Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari.

“Our hearts go out to the Johnson family,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “I’ve always had teammates who were teammates of his. It’s heartbreaking news, so we’d really like to send our thoughts and prayers to their whole family.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2023.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press