Unbelievably classy move by Jets in Adam Johnson’s tragic death

Thousands gathered Monday in Hibbing, Minn., to remember Adam Johnson, who died after his neck was cut by an opponent’s skate in a freak accident on the ice playing overseas in England. Johnson, who played in 13 NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he was hit by the blade of the skate during an Elite Ice Hockey League game.

Family, friends and former teammates gathered to celebrate his life, and this included one of his closest friend Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, who recently shared his heartbreak over the loss of his buddy.

“The first three days I didn’t know I could cry so much,” Pionk told The Free Press. “The last couple days… but some of them are good tears, too, because we’ve been sharing some really good stories and that’s what it’s all about.”

On Monday, Pionk and other players of the Jets, Alex Iafallo, Dominic Toninato and Dylan Samberg traveled on a charter arranged by team ownership led by Mark Chipman to fly to Hibbing for the funeral mass and Monday’s celebration.

After the ceremony, it just sounded like Pionk appreciated the Jets stepping in to make sure he could attend his friend’s funeral. Winnipeg played on Saturday afternoon against the Coyotes in Arizona, but Pionk and his teammates were able to make the trip thanks to the arrangements made by the club.

“He was a great player,” Pionk said, per the Associated Press. “I’ll remember him flying around in high school with his jersey flapping behind his back. We see enough hockey players come through here that if you’re not a great guy, that part has to stay for the rest of your life. The hockey part is going to go away. We have to keep them humble. Hibbing did a great job with him. He was a great young man.”

He will be missed. It is great to see that he was celebrated and that Chapman and the Jets made sure his friends were there to send him off.

On Tuesday, Pionk scored a goal, his first of the season just one day after speaking at Johnson’s celebration of life : 

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