No criminal charges for the former NHL player

Against Matt Petgrave, the Canadian hockey player, are involved in a tragic on-I-ICE accident that led to the death of the teammate Adam Johnson, no criminal charges are charged.

The public prosecutor's service confirmed that Petgrave would not be charged on Tuesday, April 29. The deputy prosecutor of the crown prosecutor Michael Quinn says: “There is no realistic prospect of conviction about criminal offense.”

“This was a shocking and deeply disturbing incident,” said Quinn. “The police from CPS and South Yorkshire worked closely to determine whether criminal charges against the other ice hockey players should be raised. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”

Johnson, a former NHL player who continued his career in England with the Nottingham Panthers, died after cutting a skate on October 28th during a game against the Sheffield Steelers. At that time, the Panthers organization described the incident as a “freak accident”.

Petgrave was the other player involved, and a few weeks later he was arrested by the police in South Yorkshire a few weeks later. (As is often common in Great Britain, Petgrave was never identified by the police after his arrest.) Petgrave was released in May 2024 when the SYP carried out its investigation.

“After Adam's tragic death, we worked tirelessly to investigate the unprecedented circumstances that took place in the Utilia Arena in October 2023,” said Benjamin Wood, chief inspector of SYP Detective. “Our investigation has involved complex consultations with specialists with specialists from North America and in close cooperation with the Crown trap.

Petgrave was extended eight times – most recently in February – when the examination of Johnson's death continued. In December last year, Petgrave seemed to start a crowdfunding campaign to cover his legal costs, especially because, as he said, he had to stay in the UK during the examination and could not work.

“I am looking for help to cover some of my legal costs, while I do a deposit from the police and additional costs when the matter leads to the criminal court,” wrote Petgrave. “All remaining funds are donated to initiatives that promote security in hockey.”

The lawyers for Petgrave did not return immediately on the crowdfunding page Rab's request for comment.