The Pittsburgh Penguins honored the late Adam Johnson in a unique way before their game against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.
Johnson died on Saturday after his neck was sliced by an opposing player’s skate in a freak accident during an EIHL game in England. His death is reportedly still under investigation by police.
The 29-year-old was a member of the Penguins organization from 2017 to 2020.
Players from both Anaheim and Pittsburgh lined up around center ice as a tribute video of Johnson played overhead. The video featured footage of when Johnson made his NHL debut and scored his first career NHL goal with the Penguins.
After the tribute video ended, the Penguins PA announcer didn’t ask fans for a moment of silence. Instead, he asked them to cheer and celebrate Johnson’s life.
Penguins players also wore “AJ 47” stickers on their helmets for the game.
Johnson signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2016-17 season after two years of NCAA hockey with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
“I don’t know if I have words to explain the whole circumstance. It’s just an incredible tragedy,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters earlier Monday. “He’s a terrific kid. It was a privilege to be his coach. I remember when he first came to our development camp, that was my first experience watching him play. I talked to his college coaches about him. We were recruiting him to be a Penguin.”
After departing the Penguins organization, Johnson spent time playing for the AHL affiliates of the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. He also suited up overseas in Sweden, Denmark and England.
In the wake of Johnson’s death, several pro hockey players have been donning neck protectors. Boston Bruins president Cam Neely spoke about the urgency of being proactive with preventative measures for players’ necks going forward.
“My guess is the league and the PA are getting together right now to see what the best course of action is because, obviously, it was a horrific and terrible incident,” Neely said in an interview with NESN Bruins.
