Arrest made in connection to death of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson
UPDATE (Nov. 15, 2023) -- Officials in the U.K. say a suspect arrested in the death of Adam Johnson, a former Pittsburgh Penguins player, has been released on bail.
While officials haven't confirmed the identity of the suspect, hockey player Matt Petgrave, 31, was the Sheffield Steelers member whose skate blade cut Johnson's neck during a game on Oct. 29.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in the U.K. when the incident occurred.
Investigators now say the person arrested has been released on bail while the "investigation continues." No charges have yet been announced.
Johnson was a native of Minnesota.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A man was arrested in connection to the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins player, Adam Johnson.
According to the South Yorkshire police in England, detectives arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter. He is currently in police custody.
- RELATED STORY: Former Penguins forward Adam Johnson dies in accident during game in Britain professional league
"Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances," said detective chief superintendent Becs Horsfall in a press release issued on Tuesday morning.
"We have been speaking to highly specialized experts in their field to assist in our inquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation."
Matt Petgrave, a defenseman for the Sheffield Steelers in the EIHL, is the player who collided with Johnson. As of this writing, the name of the man who was arrested in connection to Johnson's death has not been released.
- RELATED STORY: Police say investigation into former Pittsburgh Penguin Adam Johnson's death will "take some time"
- RELATED STORY: Pittsburgh Penguins honor Adam Johnson with 'AJ 47' decal on helmets
Changes to hockey protection in North America have already begun to take shape after Johnson's death. The Pittsburgh Penguins mandated their AHL and ECHL teams to wear neck and wrist guards. That has already started in Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre.
Penguins forward Jeff Carter was one of the players to voluntarily wear one for warmups on Nov. 9.
On Nov. 5, fans gathered in Nottingham to honor the life of Johnson. The team showed a video tribute to Johnson and it included his first NHL goal, which was scored with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The tribute included a red carpet and books of condolences.
