Penguins pay special tribute to Adam Johnson with a beautiful pre-game ceremony

The hockey world continues to mourn the loss of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson. Johnson, of course,  tragically passed away after suffering an accidental skate cut to the throat in a EIHL game while playing for the Nottingham Panthers.

The 29 year old played 13 total games for the Penguins between 2018 and 2020, spending the majority of his time in the organization with the team's AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. During his time with the big club though, Johnson impressed upon Penguins captain and NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.

Before the game, Crosby shared his thoughts on Johnson's passing and shared his own personal history on his former teammate:

"It's something that we've all been thinking about. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. Just a great guy, a great teammate, had an awesome attitude while he was here. Just genuinely happy to be playing in the NHL."

Crosby on what memories come to mind from playing with Adam Johnson: "A few. I think his first goal, definitely. To see him score in his home state was pretty cool. And just the way he skated. There's some guys that, when you get out there with them, they can just flat out fly. He was one of them. He could motor out there. I remember skating with him for the first time, and that was the first thing that stood out."

- Sidney Crosby

Classy, as always.

Just prior to the game this evening, the Penguins held a very touching ceremony to celebrate the life of Johnson.

Check it out:

Everything I've heard and read about Johnson in the past 24 hours is that he was a very humble and genuine guy. A hardworking player who was loved by all his teammates. I'm absolutely gutted that he was taken from us at such a young age. Here's hoping that his lasting legacy will be a complete review of the protective equipment used at both the youth/minor and the professional levels. I understand that each professional player should have the autonomy to choose their own equipment and to make their own decisions, but one death is one death too many. There was once a time when helmets weren't even mandatory.