HEARTBROKEN ice hockey fans say a player who accidentally killed Adam Johnson is being bombarded with abuse.
The Nottingham Panthers star died on Saturday after Matt Petgrave's skate slashed his throat in a freak accident.
The Sheffield Steelers player had lost his balance and raised his skate before smashing into Adam during the match at Sheffield Arena.
There is no suggestion Petgrave did anything wrong.
The game was postponed in the 35th minute as Johnson's horrified fiancee charged onto the ice in front of 8,000 fans.
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The 29-year-old, originally from Minnesota in the US, was rushed to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital but died a short time later.
Fans have now told how "absolutely devastated" Petgrave has been bombarded with "vile" online abuse since Saturday's tragedy.
Speaking at a makeshift shrine outside the Panthers' Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, fan Tina Taylor said "awful trolling must stop".
She told The Telegraph: "He was absolutely distraught by the death of an opponent but it was a tragic accident and he was not to blame."
And Panthers’ supporter Hazel Woods, who witnessed the tragedy, said: "It is like a bad dream I can’t wake up from."
One ice hockey fan said the online abuse towards Matt "is disgusting."
A sea of tributes, including flowers, heartfelt messages, a shirt and a cup with the player’s number 47, were left by heartbroken supporters from both clubs in Nottingham.
Posting on Facebook after Adam's death, his aunt Kari said: "I lost half of my heart tonight."
And Adam's girlfriend Ryan Wolfe, who he lived with in England, took to Instagram on Monday morning to share a picture of her late fiance.
Ryan, who is believed to have got engaged to Adam this summer, said: "My sweet, sweet angel.
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"I'll miss you forever and love you always."
In a statement on Sunday, Adam's team said: “The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night."
