Ice hockey's tragic season can end on a high after shock deaths of Mike Hammond and Adam Johnson... as Great Britain take on mighty Canada and Co at the World Championships

It is an opportunity for British ice hockey to end a season of unprecedented tragedy by showcasing the rise in the domestic game that has taken them back to the top on the world stage.

When Great Britain begin their return to the top level of the World Championship, starting against the very best in Canada today in Prague, they will be remembering those absent in a year that has seen the sport hit by a terrible number of losses.

That tragic sequence began last July when Mike Hammond, a key member of the GB side who had just secured promotion back to the big time at the first attempt, was killed, aged 33, in a car crash in Canada.

Just a month earlier Sheffield Steelers, the biggest club in the country, had been rocked by the sudden death of their emerging forward Alex Graham aged 20 only days after he signed his first professional contract.

Then came the incident that shocked the sport worldwide when Nottingham Panthers’ overseas star Adam Johnson, who had played at the highest level with Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, died after a freak accident during a game against Sheffield.

Finally, one of the most popular figures in the game in Coventry Blaze assistant coach Dayle Keen, who had also coached GB youth sides, passed away suddenly, also aged just 33.

Robert Dowd has felt the full extent of the unbearable events more than most as a vastly experienced and hugely successful forward who took over the captaincy of both Sheffield and GB this season from fellow Steelers legend Jonathan Phillips.

Now Dowd will lead GB onto the ice in Czechia, where they will play seven games against elite opposition over the next 11 days, fresh from leading Sheffield to the ultimate triumph over adversity when they last week completed a domestic treble.

‘The ice hockey world in Britain has come together like never before this year,’ said Dowd, 35. ‘To support each other the way everybody did through the hardest of times, irrespective of what club they followed or any allegiance, was a credit to everyone involved in the sport.

‘So much happened that it was a heavy year on the heart for a lot of us throughout the season and we have different memories of different guys. Now we’ve come to this tournament and we’re used to seeing Mike Hammond with us.

‘A few of us sat down the other night in our team room and watched some highlights from last year (when GB won the Division One tournament in Nottingham) and Mike was a big part of it. That pulled on the heartstrings again when we saw his face. We’ll be playing for him — and others — this tournament.’

The loss of Johnson during an Elite League game in October, when his throat was cut after a collision on the ice, hit the sport hard worldwide but also changed the game forever — every player at all levels of British ice hockey now wear neck guards and other extra protective equipment.

Meanwhile, a man is still on police bail more than six months after the tragedy waiting to see whether he will be charged with manslaughter. The show, somehow, had to go on.

‘We spent a lot of time together away from the rink to get through everything,’ Dowd told Mail Sport of his Sheffield team.

‘Everyone deals with stuff differently and coping with all this only brought us closer and I think we showed that on the ice. We’ve all been there for each other and to come out the other side winning a treble is something very special.

‘I’ll remember those guys in the room until the day I die.’

Now comes the ultimate test for GB. ‘We have a great opportunity to stay among the world’s best,’ said Dowd.

‘We’re not expecting to win a medal or beat the likes of Canada but we have an opportunity to get better as the tournament goes on and we will be looking to take a couple of results to stay at this level.’