THE SHOCKED girlfriend of ice hockey star Adam Johnson ran onto the ice and prayed for him after a skate blade fatally slashed his throat.
Nottingham Panthers confirmed in the early hours that the star, 29, had died following a horrific accident during a match.
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Adam Johnson at the rink moments before the horrific accident
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Adam Johnson previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins
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Well-wishers leave flowers at a makeshift shrine in memory of Adam Zasluge: SWNS
Now it has emerged that Johnson’s partner Ryan Wolfe ran onto the ice after the horrific injury to pray for him.
On Monday morning, she shared a picture of the hockey player on Instagram.
The photo was captioned: “My sweet, sweet angel. I will miss you forever and love you always.”
The couple reportedly got engaged over the summer and have been living together in England.
Read more about Adam Johnson
Witnesses said the players formed a ring around the player to ensure privacy.
The horror was witnessed by thousands of spectators who were asked to leave the Utilita Arena in Sheffield after the game was abandoned due to a “major medical emergency”.
Former NHL star Johnson (29) accidentally injured his throat with the skate of rival player Matt Petgrave.
Fans, who saw the incident described as “one in a million”, said the player was “absolutely distraught”.
Yesterday, tearful teammates and fans laid flowers at a makeshift shrine for Nottingham Panthers’ popular new forward who died during Saturday night’s fateful away game against Sheffield Steelers.
Fans flocked to the club’s base at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.
‘Love and support’
A sea of tributes, including flowers, heartfelt messages, a shirt and a trophy bearing the player’s number 47, were left by devastated fans of both clubs.
Assistant coach Kevin Moore told the crowd they were “really grateful for all the love and support” they’ve shown.
He promised: “As time goes by, we will heal, we will do it together.
“We’re going to be strong and we’re going to keep it up and we’re going to make you guys proud.
“We appreciate you coming here today and thank you for all your support.”
Panthers fan Hazel Woods, who witnessed the tragedy and came to pay her respects with her husband Mark, said: “What happened is horrific and I can’t get that image out of my head.
“It’s like a bad dream I can’t wake up from.”
Reliving the ordeal, the Cambridge funeral director said: “Suddenly during the match the blade caught the player’s throat and there was blood everywhere.
“He tried to get to the side of the arena, but collapsed.
“His teammates looked horrified and gathered around him to shield him from the crowd. They were amazing.
“That’s when paramedics arrived and a protective barrier was put in place.
“We all prayed and hoped it would work, but unfortunately it didn’t.
“Our hearts go out to his family, friends and teammates. I can’t imagine how they feel. We feel completely numb ourselves.
“It was a freak accident, completely tragic, and nobody was to blame.” Hazel, 46, added: “Under normal circumstances there would be a lot of rivalry between the Panthers and the Steelers, but not today, we put that aside.
“This is a hockey family reunion.”
One Nottingham fan, Tina Taylor, said: “It’s a one in a million thing that’s probably never happened again. It was a total freak accident.”
Tina, who was not at the match but speculated how it happened, said: “Sheffield’s Petgrave lost his balance and fell after a legal open check on the ice by another Nottingham player.
Adam skated past him in a less elevated position and in a split second another player’s blade caught his neck.”
Accompanied by two friends, Tina said: “We had to come here to pay our respects because we also feel Adam’s loss.
“The ice hockey community is very close-knit and this is the right place.
“Rivalries exist in the arena, but not here today because we are all hurt.”
She told how the club also lost a former season player, who signed for Glasgow, in a car accident.
Tina added: “He was completely distraught by the death of his opponent, but it was a tragic accident and it’s not his fault.
Panthers ticket holder Julie Whitnum said: “What happened was horrific and as part of the hockey family I wanted to pay my respects to the player who lost his life.
“The accident was a one-off, it was horrible … it wasn’t intentional or foul play.”
The ambulance came to the scene on Saturday evening around 8:20 p.m.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: “We treated the man and sent two ambulances and emergency care and sent one patient to hospital.”
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Johnson’s mum Kari paid tribute to him on Facebook
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Hundreds of flowers were left for the ice hockey star Credit: SWNS
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Police at the scene after the accident
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Johnson in action for the Penguins in March 2019
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