Tributes have been paid to ice hockey player Adam Johnson who died after his neck was cut by a skate during a match.

The 29-year-old Nottingham Panther's forward was fatally injured in Saturday's game against the Sheffield Steelers.

The club said Johnson's injury was a "freak accident".

His teammates and fans have left flowers outside Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena where the Panthers play their home games.

Panthers fans expressed both their grief and disbelief over the player's death following the abandoned match at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Lucy Morgan said: "He was not only the player you could see, he was a really nice human as well. He cared about all his team mates and the fans."

Chloe Wells said she had met Johnson on Friday adding: "He was so nice, a really, really friendly guy."

Some Steelers fans joined Panthers supporters in Nottingham on Sunday to remember Johnson.

Among them was Julie Whitnum who said: "Normally we are rivals but today we are not. Hockey is just a big family now."

A minute's silence was held for Johnson, who was from Minnesota, in America, at the Hillsborough football ground on Sunday when Sheffield Wednesday played Rotherham United.

Johnson previously played in North America's National Hockey League (NHL), playing 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He made the move to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2020-21 season before spells with the Ontario Reign and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League.

Johnson played for Augsburger Panther in Germany before signing for the Nottingham Panthers in August.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-67255503