Nottingham Panthers will hold a gathering on Saturday night following the death of their player Adam Johnson last weekend.
The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers in a Challenge Cup match at rivals Sheffield Steelers last Saturday when he was reportedly hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.
South Yorkshire Police have since conducted inquiries at the arena, studied footage of the collision and spoken to experts, aided by Sheffield City Council’s health and safety team.
The Panthers, who in confirming Johnson’s death referred to the incident as a “freak accident”, have invited fans of all clubs to attend Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to celebrate the former NHL player on November 4.
A statement from the Panthers on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “The Nottingham Panthers will come together on Saturday evening to remember Adam Johnson.
“Supporters of all clubs and the general public are invited to attend the Motorpoint Arena from 5:30pm to pay tribute to our #47.
“The arena bowl will be open and people will be invited onto the ice, which will be carpeted, to sign books of condolence.”
The Panthers have also announced the creation of an official fundraising page to raise money for the ‘Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund’ – established in Johnson’s memory.
The Panthers added: “The purpose of this fund is to support local charitable activities in Adam’s hometown area of Hibbing, Minnesota, as selected by the Johnson family.”
On Monday evening, the Elite League confirmed all games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday would be postponed.
Following consultation with the eight teams and their players, a consensus was for games to resume at the weekend when “appropriate and fitting tributes” to Johnson will take place.
Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers, though, will not be involved in any games over the next round of fixtures.
