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Violent sport or a blow with the intent to harm that caused the death of an Ice Hockey player? (Photo: courtesy: The Sun).
Accident or murder?
In any contact sport, blows can be serious and sometimes – as in this case – fatal. That is why it is very difficult (almost impossible) to be able to measure when there is a collision or an infraction whether the action was the result of effort and the impulses of the moment or if one of the players acted with bad intention.
At this point Matt Petgrave, the player of the Sheffield Steelers that, flying through the air, in a very violent crash, He hit the ill-fated Johnson in the neck with his foot. The blade of Petgrave’s skate caused a fatal cut to his rival.
But what is now being investigated is whether Petgrave’s history of very rough play may have predisposed him to the accident at the weekend’s game in Nottingham. In addition, notable ice hockey figures (in the United States and Great Britain) reviewed the scope of a concept that can condemn Petgrave: the definition of “unusual accident“.
A very serious precedent
In 1989, in the NHL (the National Hockey League, with teams from the United States and Canada), the player Clint Malarchuk suffered a cut on the jugular after colliding with the blade of a rival’s skate.
Of course the bleeding was abrupt and massive, but since the cut was not total (the crash was close to the ground) they were able to save his life.
In this case, Petgrave appears to have his leg extended when he collides with Johnson, who is standing. The movement was as if he had delivered a precise cut with a dagger. There are specialized NHL analysts who, upon seeing what happened in the EIHL british (Elite Ice hockey)they do not remember a similar episode.
The question is: Is Petgrave responsible for Johnson’s death?
“The coup was a murder”
The categorical statement corresponds to Jesse Wattersnetwork commentator FOX. He remembered that Matt Petgrave, Canadian, is a violent, “dirty” player and with the record for sanctions in the league the previous year. Due to this background, he said that the British police are investigating whether in reality it was not a “murder”.
The other campaign occurred immediately in the interview he did Sean Avery, NHL player. After seeing the image repeatedly, he assured that Pettgrave He left his leg extended to seek contact. “It was an unorthodox move”he stressed, but denied that he had the intention of causing the death of Johnson.
Instead, he made a contribution that those places where this sport is played on ice (basically, the United States, Canada and Europe) will have to take into account for better safety conditions.
Avery said that skating blades are now titanium, thanks to the revolution in technology applied to sports. But just as they allow better and faster movements, They are much more dangerous if a cut occurs in the skin, compared to previous steel ones. That may explain the difference between Johnson’s death and the miraculous emergency rescue that doctors achieved in 1989 with Malarchuk.
Another former player, Chris Therien, shared Pettgrave’s recklessness as revealed by the FOX journalist: “I was disgusted… It seemed intentional. It was a kick Kung Fu”.
The first reaction thinking about safety
Just three days after Johnson’s shocking death, the British Ice Hockey League made an immediate resolution: players must now wear special neck protection to avoid another unfortunate event like this.
Hockey players are required to wear:
- Helmet
- Visor to protect eyes
- Some have a lattice to protect the entire face
- Gloves
- Internal protection under the uniform against bumps and falls
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Helmets must have special neck protection (Photo: A24.com).
The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) has decided the obligation to wear a neck protector during “all activities on ice.” For example, archers wear a different helmet that has an extra extension over that part of the body.
“It is unacceptable for any player to lose their life while playing sports.. “Our responsibility is not only to prevent a repeat of such a harrowing accident, but also to prevent other incidents in the future,” reads the statement that came too late for Adam Johnson.
