Brampton Beast GM comes to Matt Petgrave’s defence following arrest and on-ice death in England

The general manager of former Brampton Beast hockey player Matt Petgrave is standing behind the defenceman who is at the centre of a fatal incident that rocked the international hockey community.

Cary Kaplan, former GM of the Brampton Beast, remembers Matt Petgrave’s parents coming to his games during his four-season run in Brampton.

Kaplan says Petgrave was a leader on the team and community ambassador, recalling the 31-year-old as an “overall good human being.”

The Sheffield Steelers defenceman made headlines when his skate cut the neck of Nottingham Panthers forward Adam Johnson last month during an Elite Ice Hockey League game in England. The 29-year-old Johnson later died in hospital.

Police made an arrest last week on suspicion of manslaughter and the man has since been released on bail without a charge. Investigators have not confirmed the individual is Petgrave, while Kaplan jumped to his former player’s defence of what he called an “obvious accident.”

“Anybody suggesting otherwise either doesn’t understand hockey or wasn’t close enough to the situation,” Kaplan said. “The most telling thing is the players from Nottingham — several of them that were right there and could see it — came out in support of Matt Petgrave and said it was an obvious accident.”

Police in the United Kingdom can hold an individual for up to 24 hours without laying a charge, but can apply to hold them up to 96 hours if they are suspected of a serious crime.

A veteran of the PHL and OJHL, Petgrave has played for the Brampton Beast and Bramalea Blues as well as the Oshawa Generals.

Johnson, a 29-year-old native of Grand Rapids, appeared in a total of 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020 before heading to the EIHL.

The Panthers said in a statement on social media Johnson died tragically following a “freak accident” in the aftermath of the Oct. 28 incident. Fans had a moment of silence for Johnson at the Steelers next game and gave Petgrave a standing ovation.

“I need to address something about the accident. We wholeheartedly stand with Matt Petgrave,” said the Pathers’ Westin Michaud in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The hate that Matt is receiving is terrible and completely uncalled for. I was at ice level on the bench closest to the accident, I saw both players moving fast.”

The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, reacted to Johnson’s death by requiring all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of 2024.

– With files from The Canadian Press