Vancouver Canucks mourn Adam Johnson, coach supports neck guards in hockey

The death of Adam Johnson, a former NHL player who passed after he was hit in the neck by a skate blade in a hockey game in England Saturday, is hitting home for members of the Vancouver Canucks.

“He was just a great guy. Everyone’s pretty devastated, it’s shocking, it’s sad,” Canucks forward Sam Lafferty said Monday of the 29-year-old.

Lafferty and Johnson will forever have a special connection. The 28-year-old assisted Johnson’s first NHL goal in 2019, when the pair played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and beat Minnesota — Johnson’s home state.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I remember it clearly. He ripped it top shelf — I can still see the look on his face, just pure elation, pure joy, in his home state of Minnesota, on top of that. His whole town was there for that one. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Lafferty recalled.