(NewsNation) — Authorities are investigating the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson after his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England.
Disturbing video of the incident over the weekend shows Johnson, playing for the Nottingham Panthers, skating when a Sheffield Steelers player comes from the opposite direction and extends his left skate all the way up in the air, slashing Johnson, who immediately drops to the ice.
Johnson, a Minnesota native, later died at a hospital. The Nottingham Panthers called it a “freak accident.”
Mike “Rizzo” Eruzione, who served as captain for the 1980 Winter Olympics USA National Team win that was dubbed the “Miracle on Ice,” said there was “no reason” for a skate to be up that high.
“I don’t think his intention was to slice his neck up, but clearly, it shouldn’t have been in that position. He shouldn’t have had to put his leg up in a position of that,” Eruzione told NewsNation host Dan Abrams. “See how high his leg is? That’s like he was trying to hit him with the foot, maybe not necessarily the blade.”
Eruzione says this doesn’t happen very often in hockey.
“You never see that,” he said. “I’ve watched a lot of hockey. I’ve played a lot of hockey. I’ve never, ever seen a skate be brought that high up to hit somebody.”
The Nottingham Panthers said the team is “heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing.”
“Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player, but also a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him. The Club will dearly miss him and will never ever forget him,” the team said.
The South Yorkshire police said their investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing.
“Our officers remain at the scene carrying out inquiries and our investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident remain ongoing,” South Yorkshire police said Monday. “We would encourage the public to avoid speculation regarding the incident while we continue our inquiries.”
Following Johnson’s death, the English Ice Hockey Association said they will require all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.