Lightning left wing Cole Koepke wearing neck guard following the death of Adam Johnson

By MARK DIDTLER
Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cole Koepke was en route to a minor league game with Syracuse of the AHL when he heard from a friend that Adam Johnson had been cut by a skate blade during a hockey game in Britain. After the game last month, the Tampa Bay Lightning left wing found out the fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth product had died. Koepke knew Johnson and says the news was a lot to take in, a shock and just terrible. The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to re-examine safety regulations but prompted Koepke to the wear a turtleneck-style neck guard.