THE heartbroken family of tragic ice hockey star Adam Johnson were left feeling helpless after watching his horror death on TV.
The former NHL player was killed while playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers at the weekend when opponent Matt Petgrave's skates cut his throat.
The game was postponed in the 35th minute and the crowd of 8,000 were told to leave the Sheffield Arena before Johnson's death was confirmed.
Dad Davey, his grandma and aunt Kari were back home in Minnesota, cheering on their boy as they have done throughout his career.
But the moment they saw the 29-year-old hit the ice and blood begin to pour out, they knew something was seriously wrong.
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The mood at Davey's house took an immediate turn for the worse, leaving the shattered family utterly helpless while his son fought for his life.
Girlfriend Ryan was unable to give any immediate updates but sadly the call they were dreading soon arrived.
"We are broken up and shattered. We're not doing well at all. We were watching it, streaming it from the computer onto the TV," an emotional Kari told The U.S. Sun.
"We saw what happened and we were devastated. We knew right away something was not right, that something was really bad.
"We could see all the blood and we knew right away it was terrible."
In the immediate aftermath, with the Johnson family sat almost 4,000 miles away in Minnesota, details were scarce.
"We were just waiting. We had no idea where to call or get a hold of anybody or anything," added Kari.
"One of his teammates finally called, saw his dad's number on his phone and finally called and let us know what was going on. It was quite a wait.
"It took a while for the ambulance to get there and everything, so we waited quite a while. I couldn't tell you exactly how long everything took - it's a blur."
Kari admitted watching her nephew play was something the whole family looked forward to, especially in cold northern Minnesota winter months.
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He started his career in the NHL with the Pittsburg Pirates before moving to Germany and then the United Kingdom, where he was loving life in Nottingham.
She described him as a "great kid who really cared about people".
"He just really cared about people," said Kari. "And he loved his family and his friends. He would never not talk to somebody because he was a big shot or anything like that.
"He loved little kids. He just was just a real down to earth guy that had time for anybody and everybody."
A video has emerged of Adam's accident which shows him attempting to stand up before collapsing in what has been described as a "freak accident."
Tributes have already poured in for the American who has been described as a "great teammate" and an "outstanding player."
Sheffield's Petgrave is understood to be " absolutely distraught" following the incident and Kari's heart also went out to him.
Petgrave has been the subject of some sickening online abuse.
"I'm sure he is suffering too," she said.
In a statement on Sunday, Johnson'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."
Ryan took to Instagram to share a picture of the pair together.
She said: "My sweet, sweet angel. I'll miss you forever and love you always."
