Thousands pay tribute to the Nottingham Panthers’ Adam Johnson, who died last week

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Mark Anderson should have spent Saturday night doing what he always does during the hockey season, hawking raffle tickets at Nottingham Panthers home games.

The Panthers were scheduled to play the Cardiff Devils on Saturday in an Elite Ice Hockey League showdown of two of the top five teams. Anderson, a club volunteer, would have been weaving his way through a sea of boisterous fans in the concourse of the Motorpoint Arena, offering a hearty welcome and a chance to win a 50-50 prize or a team jersey.

Instead he stood in a long line of people inside the arena waiting to sign a book of condolence for the family of Adam Johnson, a Panthers forward who died last week after his throat was accidentally slashed by the skate of Sheffield Steelers defenceman Matt Petgrave during a game in Sheffield.

“It’s quiet, it’s too quiet,” Anderson said as the line moved slowly. “I’m used to walking up and down here and shouting.” Then he shook his head and added, “This should never have happened.”

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More than 3,000 people came to the arena Saturday evening to pay their respects to Johnson. The line of mourners snaked through the concourse and on to the ice where officials set up tables stacked with books of condolences. The arena lights were turned down and video screens on the score clock showed highlights of Johnson’s career, including his one goal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Johnson’s stall had been removed from the locker room and displayed at centre ice next to a giant photo of him. In the hallways, commemorative pucks featuring his number – 47 – were on sale for £7 (about $12) with proceeds earmarked for charities in his hometown of Hibbing, Minn.

At 8:20 p.m., the time of the collision between Johnson and Petgrave, hundreds of fans stood in the arena for two minutes of silence.

Panthers diehard Demi Hogan had bought a ticket weeks ago for Saturday’s game against the Devils just to watch Johnson in action. He’d been a star addition to the team in August and this would have been Hogan’s first game this season. “To not see Adam play yet, and to lose him so quickly, it’s horrendous,” she said. “It’s the worst circumstances possible to be here.”

The Nottingham event was one of many during the weekend honouring Johnson, a 29-year-old hockey journeyman who spent nearly all of his career in the minor leagues and in Europe, save for a 13-game stint with the Penguins.

On Sunday, his family attended a funeral mass in Hibbing and on Monday the Hibbing Memorial Arena is holding a public celebration of his life.

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Steelers fans held a vigil as well on Saturday in Sheffield and a few players showed up including Petgrave, a 31-year old Toronto native, who was accompanied by his parents.

Dozens of Steelers supporters also came to Nottingham to show their support for Johnson and the club.

“It’s been a really difficult week,” said Andrew Kemp, who drove from Sheffield with a group of friends and stood in line dressed in a Steelers jersey.

Kemp was at the game last week and he can’t shake the images of what happened or the anguish everyone felt. Johnson and Petgrave collided part way through the second period and as Petgrave fell, his left foot shot upward and struck Johnson’s throat.

“There were people being sick. There were people fainting,” Kemp recalled of the reaction among the 8,000 spectators at the game. “There was panic on the ice. And Petgrave’s howl, just the shrieks. It was just awful.”

Kemp has been a passionate hockey fan since 1991 when he received free tickets to a Steelers game. But now he’s not sure if he’ll attend a game again. “How am I going to step inside that arena? I have no idea,” he said as tears welled in his eyes. “I don’t care about the results any more.”

Johnson’s death has resonated throughout the hockey world and also sparked a debate about neck guards.

Last week the English Ice Hockey Association, the governing body for hockey in England, mandated neck guards for all amateur players, matching restrictions in Canada and several other countries. However, professional leagues including the NHL and the Elite Ice Hockey League have only recommended that players wear the protection.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said last week that the league and the players’ union have been in contact about the issue. “Whether it’s something that’s mandated directly or on a phased-in basis, that’s something we’ll discuss with the players’ association,” he said.

Some teams have taken their own action. The Penguins have ordered their affiliates in the AHL and the East Coast Hockey League to require all players to wear neck guards. The Oxford City Stars, who play in a lower professional division in England, have also announced that neck guards will be mandatory and the top league in Germany is considering a similar move.

Neither the Panthers nor the Steelers have played since Johnson’s death although the league is expected to resume its full schedule soon. Whenever that happens, Panthers fan James Carters-Shelton will be back at the Motorpoint Arena cheering on his beloved team.

“It’s going to be hard when we resume,” he said Saturday. “But this is our home. It’s our palace almost. It’s everything for us, in good times or bad,” he said. “The rink is always home.”