Brewin Flames Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, dies in 'tragic accident' 9:01 AM ET Emily KaplanESPN Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died on Sunday at the age of 24. The team said Kivlenieks died as the result of a "tragic accident," suffering an apparent head injury in a fall. "Medical personnel were called immediately, but he succumbed a short time later," the team said in a statement. "We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his mother, Astrida, his family and friends during this devastating time," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said in a statement. "Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten." Kivlenieks started in two games for the Blue Jackets last season and had recently played for Latvia at the IIHF World Championships. He played in eight total games in his NHL career and was expected to compete for more playing time next season. Kivlenieks, who was undrafted, signed with Columbus as a free agent in 2017. He made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 19, 2020, stopping 31 of 32 shots to beat the New York Rangers 2-1. Last week, Kivlenieks and fellow Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made an appearance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for a ride-along event. Kivlenieks was spending the summer in the United States and was there at the time of his death, a source told ESPN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 Just horrible.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 holy crap! I just saw this ....... horrible news. my heart aches for his family and for the entire Columbus Blue Jackets organization ...... so sad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 more info from ESPN .... Police in Novi, Michigan, said Monday that 24-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died after hitting his head following a Fourth of July fireworks accident. Lt. Jason Meier of the Novi Police Department said a mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby. Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and fled along with several other people, but he slipped and hit his head on concrete, Meier said. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31764017/columbus-blue-jackets-goalie-matiss-kivlenieks-24-dies-tragic-accident Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FD19372 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 A terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to Matiss's family, friends, and the Blue Jackets organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Very sad. Such a young age. Some more info on it. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2021/07/05/blue-jackets-goalie-matiss-kivlenieks-dies-accident-novi-home-possibly-fireworks-related/7864777002/ An initial autopsy report determined Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died from a "percussive injury," the extreme force let out by exploding fireworks, Novi police confirmed Monday afternoon. He suffered major damage to his heart and lungs, police said. Kivlenieks died Sunday night after a fireworks mishap at a Novi holiday house party. He was 24. Initial reports, including a team statement from the Blue Jackets, cited a head injury, which he did suffer while trying to get out of a hot tub during the fireworks accident. Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier said Kivlenieks slipped getting of the hot tub, and hit his head on the concrete. Multiple people were in the hot tub at what Meier called a "large gathering." There were no other injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 @OccamsRazor So with this new information it sounds like the tube which was firing the fireworks got directed in his direction and in essence this fatal injury would be consistent with what a soldier would experience with a wartime grenade / RPG blast. It appears the mortar explode almost directly near him then. (of course this is all speculative on my part) so sad ...... (I see a lawsuit being filed by somebody) Per Michigan Fireworks law .... "When fire-related incidents involve consumer, low impact, or illegal fireworks resulting in property damage, injury or death of another person, individuals are subject to a misdemeanor or felony punishable by imprisonment of not more than five years and fines of up to $10,000 or both." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 4 minutes ago, pilldoc said: So with this new information it sounds like the tube which was firing the fireworks got directed in his direction and in essence this fatal injury would be consistent with what a soldier would experience with a wartime grenade / RPG blast. It appears the mortar explode almost directly near him then. (of course this is all speculative on my part) Very well it could be the cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 hours ago, OccamsRazor said: Very well it could be the cause. simply awful. Absolutely the most bizzare death in Hockey since..... sawchuk? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 57 minutes ago, yave1964 said: simply awful. Absolutely the most bizzare death in Hockey since..... sawchuk? I would include the tragic death of Flyers’ Dmitri Tertyshny, killed in a boating accident when the boat he was in hit a rough wake and he fell overboard and into the boat's propeller. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 hours ago, yave1964 said: simply awful. Absolutely the most bizzare death in Hockey since..... sawchuk? Sawchuk was injured in a fight and died after surgery right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 24 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said: Sawchuk was injured in a fight and died after surgery right? Yeah … that is what I read. from Google… Sawchuk struggled with untreated depression, a condition that often affected his conduct. After the 1969–1970 season ended, Sawchuk and Rangers teammate Ron Stewart, both of whom had been drinking, physically fought over expenses for the house they rented together on Long Island, New York. Sawchuk suffered severe internal injuries during the scuffle from falling on top of Stewart's bent knee. At Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Sawchuk's gallbladder was removed and he had a second operation on his damaged and bleeding liver. The press described the incident as "horseplay", and Sawchuk told the police that he accepted full responsibility for the events. At New York Hospital Manhattan, another operation was performed on Sawchuk's bleeding liver. He never recovered and died shortly thereafter from a pulmonary embolism on Sunday, May 31, 1970 at the age of 40. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimtown guy Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Such a sad ordeal. May he Rest In Peace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said: Sawchuk was injured in a fight and died after surgery right? Yep with teammate and roommate Ron Stewart arguing over bills, Stewart toppled sawchuk who landed wrong and ended up dying days later of internal injuries. He absolved Stewart completely before he died, Stewart ended up actually playing for several more years before hanging up the skates. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 2 hours ago, pilldoc said: I would include the tragic death of Flyers’ Dmitri Tertyshny, killed in a boating accident when the boat he was in hit a rough wake and he fell overboard and into the boat's propeller. I always forget this one for some reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Dan Snyder dying in a car crash where teammmate Danny Heatley was driving like a damn fool comes to mind a bit too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 14 minutes ago, yave1964 said: Dan Snyder dying in a car crash where teammmate Danny Heatley was driving like a damn fool comes to mind a bit too Yup …. Heatley pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding. He admitted to consuming alcohol prior to the accident, but his blood-alcohol content tested below the legal limit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 In the end be it Kivs / Snyder / Tertyshny or Pelle Lindbergh. All young lives who had promising careers cut short. So sad. May they all Rest In Peace. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 2 minutes ago, ruxpin said: I’m not ashamed to admit it … I cried when I found out…. then 2 months later the Challenger disaster … was a rough couple months for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted July 6, 2021 Author Share Posted July 6, 2021 And Ray Emery as well... Just sucks...all of it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 9 hours ago, pilldoc said: I’m not ashamed to admit it … I cried when I found out…. then 2 months later the Challenger disaster … was a rough couple months for me. Same with Pelle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 On 7/5/2021 at 1:49 PM, pilldoc said: with this new information it sounds like the tube which was firing the fireworks got directed in his direction and in essence this fatal injury would be consistent with what a soldier would experience with a wartime grenade / RPG blast. "Hey, we have someone who was hit by a fireworks. Can you come here immediately? He’s breathing. We have a nurse here. He’s breathing, but he’s not doing very good," one of the calls said, as reported by Corey Williams of The Associated Press. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/released-911-calls-provide-more-details-on-matiss-kivlenieks-tragic-death-192043251.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynxrattle Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Just incredibly sad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 And what enrages me all the more is i am willing to bet that after the investigation is complete, we will find out that this was horesplay/douchbaggery gone horribly wrong.... Happens every year, someone is injured, a home burned down (happened in NY and a child died), but this is the wrong end of the pinnacle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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