Current Events > Should the guy who cut the hockey players throat with his skate be charged?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Adam Johnson had his throat cut by Matt Petgrave during a hockey game in the UK. I won't link the video for obvious reasons, but some people are saying it looked like Matt kicked at Adam intentionally. Some people are saying it was an accident, but still manslaughter. And some are saying it was just a freak accident. Any thoughts?

The burden of proof for trying to show a player intentionally tried to murder someone in a game feels like it would be so high, that taxpayers' money would surely go to waste even trying to go that route.

Like, you would need direct receipts where the perpetrator recorded themselves doing an evil monologue about how they are going to attack a player with the skate.

I think we just need to rethink our protective gear with hockey.

If it turns out to be intentional or reckless, yes. If not, no. I haven't been following the case so don't know which is more likely to be true.

You shouldn't be kicking in hockey. So yes, charge his fucking ass

Yes he should be charged.
He tried to body the other player by extending his legs out in a roundhouse kick.

HBOSS posted...

Yes he should be charged.
He tried to body the other player by extending his legs out in a roundhouse kick.

So he hit the guy while standing? It wasn't a case of the guy laying on the ice when the skate hit his neck? In that case, I would say he needs to be charged.

It is under police investigation.

oh shit. this is some real life Happy Gilmore shit right here.

i just seen the video and holy shit. that doesnt really look like an accident to me. the dude extended his leg and hit him with some sweet chin music. i dont think the guy meant to kill him, but god damn, that was not a hockey play at all.

i kinda wish i could unsee that video.

The amount of people who've never played a game of hockey coming out to boldly declare that the act was intentional is goddamn ridiculous.
HBOSS posted...

Yes he should be charged.
He tried to body the other player by extending his legs out in a roundhouse kick.

Like this.

No, absolutely not. Not in a million years. He got hit hard. He wasn't even looking at the guy. If you think yes you've never seen hockey let alone played it.

xGhostchantx posted...

No, absolutely not. Not in a million years. If you think yes you've never seen hockey let alone played it.

I have never in my life of watching seen a player throw their leg up like that. There was absolutely no reason other than an attempt to take Adam out of the play in the most dangerous way possible.

xGhostchantx posted...

No, absolutely not. Not in a million years. He got hit hard. He wasn't even looking at the guy. If you think yes you've never seen hockey let alone played it.

Pretty sure kicking people with your skates isn't a regular or routine maneuver in hockey. This dude should absolutely be charged.

this incident is now under criminal investigation.

https://sports.yahoo.com/death-of-hockey-player-adam-johnson-under-police-investigation-192539698.html

blacklabelice posted...

I have never in my life of watching seen a player throw their leg up like that. There was absolutely no reason other than an attempt to take Adam out of the play in the most dangerous way possible.

He didn't "throw" his leg up at all. Try watching the video. He makes a legit play and gets hit at an awkward spot and the momentum tips him over forward, making his legs raise by necessity. He's not even looking at the guy. You think he has eyes in the back of his head that he used to line that shit up? People tumble all the time and have their skates at head height as a result.

A_Good_Boy posted...

Pretty sure kicking people with your skates isn't a regular or routine maneuver in hockey. This dude should absolutely be charged.

Good thing he didn't kick anyone then.

I want to see the video but I hate seeing stuff like that especially when it comes to throats being slit. How bad is it?

xGhostchantx posted...

Good thing he didn't kick anyone then.

So Adam Johnson's throat cut itself open?

xGhostchantx posted...

He didn't "throw" his leg up at all. Try watching the video. He makes a legit play and gets hit at an awkward spot and the momentum tips him over forward, making his legs raise by necessity. He's not even looking at the guy. You think he has eyes in the back of his head that he used to line that shit up? People tumble all the time and have their skates at head height as a result.

Good thing he didn't kick anyone then.

not sure if i can post the video here, as its pretty bloody and some dude died as a result of somebody elses negligence, but it sure looks like a legit hockey play to me teehee! a puck carrier getting hit with some sweet chin music is normal. happens every other game.

What would a criminal charge accomplish here?

Antifar posted...

What would a criminal charge accomplish here?

Reactionary Revenge?
Making an example of idiots who throw their legs up in skating

Reminds me of when people said Tony Stewart clearly murdered a race car driver

And of course this player is getting hit with racial slurs since he's black.

Haven't seen the video and not sure I want to.
But if it really was like "sweet chin music", that's no slip whoopsie kind of accident, that was an intentional kick w/ a blade at the end. I'm sure he didn't intend to murder the guy, but it's still manslaughter.
And even if the courts can't throw him in prison, this should be the end of his hockey career. Need to make an example so no one else tries this shit.
Trevor Bauer lost his career for blatantly false DV claims; outright killing another person because of your reckless actions should meet the damn bar.

Antifar posted...

What would a criminal charge accomplish here?

Justice for the victim?
Deterrence for anyone else that might do this in the future?
Why bother punishing any killers, then? Their victims are already dead. /s

streamofthesky posted...

Haven't seen the video and not sure I want to.
But if it really was like "sweet chin music", that's no slip whoopsie kind of accident, that was an intentional kick w/ a blade at the end. I'm sure he didn't intend to murder the guy, but it's still manslaughter.
And even if the courts can't throw him in prison, this should be the end of his hockey career. Need to make an example so no one else tries this shit.
Trevor Bauer lost his career for blatantly false DV claims; outright killing another person because of your reckless actions should meet the damn bar.

Justice for the victim?
Deterrence for anyone else that might do this in the future?
Why bother punishing any killers, then? Their victims are already dead. /s

"Haven't seen the video, but he's definitely the first person in history to deliberately roundhouse kick someone with a skate blade. Let him rot in prison."

hockeybub89 posted...

"Haven't seen the video, but he's definitely the first person in history to deliberately roundhouse kick someone with a skate blade. Let him rot in prison."

Hockey players shouldn't be kicking each other. It's blatantly dangerous, as this instance shows.
I've never seen people use such a "maneuver" when watching hockey before. It must be pretty rare, and isn't generally an effective way to "check" somebody if the goal is to push them or stop their momentum and your solution is to balance on one ice skate so you can kick with the other.

streamofthesky posted...

Hockey players shouldn't be kicking each other. It's blatantly dangerous, as this instance shows.
I've never seen people use such a "maneuver" when watching hockey before. It must be pretty rare, and isn't generally an effective way to "check" somebody if the goal is to push them or stop their momentum and your solution is to balance on one ice skate so you can kick with the other.

So this would lead one to believe "hmm maybe he didn't mean to kick him at all, much less in the throat," no?

Man idk, I just watched the video.

Ive never seen anything like that and Ive played and watched hockey my whole life. He makes contact with the guy before which will absolutely shift your momentum the you see, but Ive never seen anyone kick up a back foot like that before being off balanced and it makes no sense from a physics/skating standpoint.

He needed to plant harder. So I really dont know here, I cant say it looks intentional but it is weird as fuck all around.

At the risk of minimizing the skill involved even at this level of the sport: maybe the reason you haven't seen something like this is because you aren't typically watching British hockey.

The guy has a history of dirty player and the leg kick looked intentional

Manslaughter

hockeybub89 posted...

So this would lead one to believe "hmm maybe he didn't mean to kick him at all, much less in the throat," no?

thats my feeling about it, but again, its really weird.

The Ghost user has it all backwards as Im sure you agree with. His whole approach to the situation is the exact opposite of what youre taught to do. Instincts dont even tell you to try something like that to catch yourself for obvious reasons, cause the likelier case is going head over heals or snapping your Knee/Ankle

Antifar posted...

At the risk of minimizing the skill involved even at this level of the sport: maybe the reason you haven't seen something like this is because you aren't typically watching British hockey.

Yeah, it's not like we're dealing with the cream of the hockey crop here. We're talking guys who are barely hanging in at ECHL level.

The guy went to make a hit, got incidental contact he wasn't anticipating, and went ass over teakettle. People thinking this guy going 5-10 MPH on a pair of skates had the ability within a split second to intentionally kick a guy in the throat - as though that's a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do - are out to lunch.

Antifar posted...

At the risk of minimizing the skill involved even at this level of the sport: maybe the reason you haven't seen something like this is because you aren't typically watching British hockey.

meh, believe it or not I actually do lol. EIHL is a fun league, I watch a few external leagues cause I still have friends playing overseas in all but like the KHL (of the big ones).

Dont get me wrong though, even after all these years I still see stuff for the first time so I dont wanna diminish the freak accident it potentially could be.

Im still recovering from two fractures, an AC separation, and a whole lot of other trauma from my own freak accident back in July. Guy tripped me on accident and sent me head first into the boards before finishing the check and blew out my whole right side.

but I talked to the dude afterwards and going into the boards I could tell I was falling at one of those perfect wrong angles lining me up for trouble.

No question things like this just happen at times.

I've heard the guy in question has a history of bad behavior/penalty time, but I'm not gonna pretend to be knowledgeable about the game.

I have actually attended one though. Getting free tickets at some point is kind of a thing in Minnesota. At least, pre-pandemic.

Too_Many_Limes posted...

Yeah, it's not like we're dealing with the cream of the hockey crop here. We're talking guys who are barely hanging in at ECHL level.

The guy went to make a hit, got incidental contact he wasn't anticipating, and went ass over teakettle. People thinking this guy going 5-10 MPH on a pair of skates had the ability within a split second to intentionally kick a guy in the throat - as though that's a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do - are out to lunch.

Youre really underestimating the skill sets of EIHL players.

USHL and NAHL levels arent gonna see this and even In-line like MIHA and NARCH arent gonna be playing dudes who dont know basic fundamentals.

this hit is shit you wont even see in beer leagues unless youre talking 30/40+ leagues of dudes learning to play or your basic/intermediate leagues where again people are still learning to skate

edit: for a good example watch someone like Trey Crew on YouTube to get a look at lower level skating if you wanna see.

I don't know shit about hockey, but I know I wish I could unsee that video.

matt petgrave led the EIHL in penalty minutes last season

https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/players?id_season=36&id_stage=1&order=9&order_direction=2

he's also been kicked out of many games.

Too_Many_Limes posted...

Yeah, it's not like we're dealing with the cream of the hockey crop here. We're talking guys who are barely hanging in at ECHL level.

The guy went to make a hit, got incidental contact he wasn't anticipating, and went ass over teakettle. People thinking this guy going 5-10 MPH on a pair of skates had the ability within a split second to intentionally kick a guy in the throat - as though that's a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do - are out to lunch.

This. The guy collided with another dude and basically went tumbling. There is literally no way, none whatsoever, that he somehow delivered a perfect roundhouse kick immediately after colliding with somebody on skates.

By the way, if you want an idea on why certain trolls are pushing the "murder" rhetoric so heavily, Matt Petgrave is black.

Draw your own conclusions, but I bet you can guess the kind of rhetoric this is now spawning online.

StealThisSheen posted...

By the way, if you want an idea on why certain trolls are pushing the "murder" rhetoric so heavily, Matt Petgrave is black.

Draw your own conclusions, but I bet you can guess the kind of rhetoric this is now spawning online.

So this means nothing?

blacklabelice posted...

matt petgrave led the EIHL in penalty minutes last season

https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/players?id_season=36&id_stage=1&order=9&order_direction=2

he's also been kicked out of many games.

Eab1990 posted...

So this means nothing?

I'm sure you think it means something since you clearly don't follow hockey, but no, it does not. It certainly doesn't mean he intentionally tried to kill somebody.

Sure seeing an interesting bunch of names suddenly show up, here, though.

StealThisSheen posted...

By the way, if you want an idea on why certain trolls are pushing the "murder" rhetoric so heavily, Matt Petgrave is black.

Draw your own conclusions, but I bet you can guess the kind of rhetoric this is now spawning online.

Don't do this.

The first few times I watched the video it looked like a malicious and intentional kick to the throat. But after hearing some other takes and rewatching a bunch more times, yeah it looks accidental to me. I don't watch hockey so I know nothing about how common something like this is.

dave_is_slick posted...

Don't do this.

People on Twitter are literally posting "A black man executed a white man on live television. This is a hate crime."

I'm not doing this. They are.

blacklabelice posted...

matt petgrave led the EIHL in penalty minutes last season

https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/players?id_season=36&id_stage=1&order=9&order_direction=2

he's also been kicked out of many games.

Someone taking lots of penalties in hockey isn't exactly proof that they're mentally unstable and capable of on-ice murder

Reminds me of Clint Malarchuk and Richard Zedik's injuries (both had their throats accidentally slashed in games)

hockeybub89 posted...

Someone taking lots of penalties in hockey isn't exactly proof that they're mentally unstable and capable of on-ice murder

hey i was just putting it out there. stats are not subject to your opinion.

where i dont believe that he was trying to kill the guy, the guy definately ain't no hockey saint. he definately won't be winning any lady byng trophies.

It should be very telling when blacklabelice is pushing something so heavily, given their posting history.

StealThisSheen posted...

I'm sure you think it means something since you clearly don't follow hockey, but no, it does not. It certainly doesn't mean he intentionally tried to kill somebody.

Sure seeing an interesting bunch of names suddenly show up, here, though.

Didn't say it meant murder.

But maybe don't play the racist card for someone with a history of bad behavior either.

I was also here before you and didn't even know the guy was black, so yeah.

blacklabelice posted...

hey i was just putting it out there. stats are not subject to your opinion.

where i dont believe that he was trying to kill the guy, the guy definately ain't no hockey saint. he definately won't be winning any lady byng trophies.

Might as well be putting out that he pours the cereal into the milk.

Initial reaction is yes. He cut someone throat. Maybe I would change my mind with more context, but the bar is rather high.