Columbus Blue Jackets goalie, Matiss Kivlenieks died late last night as a result of a head injury he suffered in a fireworks accident.
He was 1-1-0 with a 3.40 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in two games with Columbus this past season and went 2-2-2 with a 3.09 GAA and a .899 save percentage in eight NHL games (six starts) the past two seasons.
The Riga Latvia native has been injury free his whole career with the exception of September 21, 2018 where he suffered an undiscolsed injury. That was in a 3-0 pre-season loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Kivlenieks also played for Latvia at the 2021 IIHF World Championships, where he went 1-1-2 with a 2.18 GAA, a.922 save percentage and one shutout in four games.
“Life is so precious and can be so fragile,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a tweet. “Hug your loved ones today. RIP Matiss, you will be dearly missed.”
| Date | Source | Injury | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-09-21 03:10 | ESPN | Undisclosed | Kivlenieks is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, Brian Hedger of the Blue Jackets offical site reports. |
Romano Di Franco is the head writer for whoshurt.com and is a graduate of the Algonquin College Radio Broadcasting program.