#BLUE JACKETS HOCKEY UPGRADE#

'I just want to give our heartfelt condolences to the Kivlenieks family,'' Cooper said. Lightning coach Jon Cooper offered remarks about Kivlenieks after his team's overtime loss. Hard day for a lot of people in that organization.'Ī moment of silence was held in Kivlenieks' memory prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Praying for his family and all of us who knew him. Just enjoying his life as a 24-year-old living out his dream, and you could tell he didn't take one day for granted, which makes this tragedy even more hard to bear. 'I know it's cliché, but that's exactly the kind of guy he was. 'One thing I loved and appreciated about him was he had a great smile and always was in a good mood,' former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno told ESPN's Emily Kaplan in a text message. '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.' '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.

He played in eight total games in his NHL career and was expected to compete for more playing time next season. Kivlenieks started in two games for the Blue Jackets this past season and had recently played for Latvia at the IIHF World Championships. 'At the moment, we're pretty certain this was a tragic accident,' Meier said. Prior to the autopsy, police said Kivlenieks was believed to have slipped and hit his head on concrete while running from a malfunctioning firework. The Oakland County Medical Examiner's office reported preliminary autopsy results Monday afternoon. Kivlenieks was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Responders took 4 minutes and 38 seconds to arrive after receiving a 911 call. Meier said the fire department and EMTs arrived at a private home at 10:13 p.m. 'There was some minor injury to his exterior, which would lead us to believe that some portion of the firework made contact with him, but we're not really sure if it was a direct hit or whether the percussion from the explosion caused his injuries,' Meier said, according to The Detroit News. The initial autopsy determined Kivlenieks died from a percussive injury caused by the powerful blast from the fireworks, which triggered major damage to his heart and lungs, according to police.

The 24-year-old Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and tried to get clear with several other people, Lt.

Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night.

#BLUE JACKETS HOCKEY UPGRADE#

You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĬolumbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, dies in fireworks accidentĪ medical examiner in Michigan said an autopsy has determined that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast and not a fall, as authorities previously reported.

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