07-06-2021, 07:31 AM
Matīss Edmunds Kivlenieks (26 August 1996 – 4 July 2021) was a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for Prizma Riga of the Latvian Hockey Higher League (LHL), the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2012 and 2021. He died on 4 July 2021 after being accidentally struck with fireworks.
Kivlenieks played for Prizma Riga in the season of 2011–12.[3] That was his only season with the team, and he only played 1 game with a 9.52 goals against average (GAA).[3] They decided not to keep him, and he went to the Prizma U18 team, where he played as a third-in-line goaltender playing only 12 games, but had a 2.6 GAA.[3]
Kivlenieks opted to leave Latvia in 2013 at age 16 and continue his development in the North American junior leagues in order to pursue his goal of joining the NHL. Kivlenieks was encouraged to try and join the North American Hockey League by Kārlis Zirnis, a coach for the Latvian national team and a scout for the NAHL. Kivleniek's first team in North America was the Edina Lakers, which played in the Tier III Minnesota Junior Hockey League.[1][2] After the 2013-14 season, he unsuccessfully tried out for the Janesville Jets of the NAHL, and again played for the Lakers, now the Forest Lake Lakers. In February 2015, Kivlenieks was called up to the Coulee Region Chill of the NAHL as an emergency backup, losing 5-3 to the Janesville Jets.[1] In 2015, Kivlenieks was named to the MJHL's second all star team.[4]
In the 2015-16 season, Kivlenieks joined the Coulee Region Chill as a permanent player.[5] Kivlenieks reached Tier I junior hockey in the 2016–17 USHL season, leading the Sioux City Musketeers to win the Anderson Cup as the league's regular season champions.[1][5] He had a 1.85 goals-against average and .932 save percentage, with both stats being the second best in league history. In the playoffs, his team reached the final, but lost the Clark Cup in overtime of Game 5 of the Best of Five final.[5] Kivlenieks was named to the First All-Star team, and won the league's Goaltender and Player of the Year awards.[5][6]
Despite going undrafted after his final season with the Sioux City Musketeers, Kivlenieks signed a three-year, entry-level contract in May 2017 with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500.[5] The following season, he was assigned to the juniors, joining the Blue Jackets American Hockey League affiliate team, the Cleveland Monsters.[7]
During the 2019–20 season, Kivlenieks was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting in his NHL debut, earning his first NHL win in a 2–1 victory against the New York Rangers on 19 January 2020. He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and finished the night with a .969 save percentage.[8] After the end of the 2020-21 Blue Jackets season, Kivlenieks was considered a contender for the backup goalie position in Columbus.[9]
On 4 July 2021, Kivlenieks was fatally injured during a fireworks malfunction while at the home of Blue Jackets' goaltending coach Manny Legace in Novi, Michigan.[11] According to Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier, a mortar tube accidentally tilted toward the hot tub Kivlenieks and others were sitting in and fired, striking Kivlenieks directly in the chest. Kivlenieks was taken to Ascension Providence Hospital with extensive internal injuries, where he later died.[12][13][14]
An autopsy performed on 5 July ruled Kivlenieks' death as accidental, due to chest trauma caused by a fireworks mortar.[11][12][13] Prior to the autopsy, police said Kivlenieks was believed to have slipped and hit his head on concrete while running from the malfunctioning firework.[11][13] According to Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier, the autopsy showed no signs of head trauma or external injuries to his chest.[12] In a statement, team president John Davidson said Kivlenieks "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."[13][14] Former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said "Kivlenieks didn't take one day for granted which makes this tragedy even more hard to bear!"[14]
More at Wikipedia.
With this sort of early history as a hockey player he might have become one of the greatest at his position had it not been for the freak accident that killed him.
Kivlenieks played for Prizma Riga in the season of 2011–12.[3] That was his only season with the team, and he only played 1 game with a 9.52 goals against average (GAA).[3] They decided not to keep him, and he went to the Prizma U18 team, where he played as a third-in-line goaltender playing only 12 games, but had a 2.6 GAA.[3]
Kivlenieks opted to leave Latvia in 2013 at age 16 and continue his development in the North American junior leagues in order to pursue his goal of joining the NHL. Kivlenieks was encouraged to try and join the North American Hockey League by Kārlis Zirnis, a coach for the Latvian national team and a scout for the NAHL. Kivleniek's first team in North America was the Edina Lakers, which played in the Tier III Minnesota Junior Hockey League.[1][2] After the 2013-14 season, he unsuccessfully tried out for the Janesville Jets of the NAHL, and again played for the Lakers, now the Forest Lake Lakers. In February 2015, Kivlenieks was called up to the Coulee Region Chill of the NAHL as an emergency backup, losing 5-3 to the Janesville Jets.[1] In 2015, Kivlenieks was named to the MJHL's second all star team.[4]
In the 2015-16 season, Kivlenieks joined the Coulee Region Chill as a permanent player.[5] Kivlenieks reached Tier I junior hockey in the 2016–17 USHL season, leading the Sioux City Musketeers to win the Anderson Cup as the league's regular season champions.[1][5] He had a 1.85 goals-against average and .932 save percentage, with both stats being the second best in league history. In the playoffs, his team reached the final, but lost the Clark Cup in overtime of Game 5 of the Best of Five final.[5] Kivlenieks was named to the First All-Star team, and won the league's Goaltender and Player of the Year awards.[5][6]
Despite going undrafted after his final season with the Sioux City Musketeers, Kivlenieks signed a three-year, entry-level contract in May 2017 with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500.[5] The following season, he was assigned to the juniors, joining the Blue Jackets American Hockey League affiliate team, the Cleveland Monsters.[7]
During the 2019–20 season, Kivlenieks was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting in his NHL debut, earning his first NHL win in a 2–1 victory against the New York Rangers on 19 January 2020. He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and finished the night with a .969 save percentage.[8] After the end of the 2020-21 Blue Jackets season, Kivlenieks was considered a contender for the backup goalie position in Columbus.[9]
On 4 July 2021, Kivlenieks was fatally injured during a fireworks malfunction while at the home of Blue Jackets' goaltending coach Manny Legace in Novi, Michigan.[11] According to Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier, a mortar tube accidentally tilted toward the hot tub Kivlenieks and others were sitting in and fired, striking Kivlenieks directly in the chest. Kivlenieks was taken to Ascension Providence Hospital with extensive internal injuries, where he later died.[12][13][14]
An autopsy performed on 5 July ruled Kivlenieks' death as accidental, due to chest trauma caused by a fireworks mortar.[11][12][13] Prior to the autopsy, police said Kivlenieks was believed to have slipped and hit his head on concrete while running from the malfunctioning firework.[11][13] According to Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier, the autopsy showed no signs of head trauma or external injuries to his chest.[12] In a statement, team president John Davidson said Kivlenieks "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."[13][14] Former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said "Kivlenieks didn't take one day for granted which makes this tragedy even more hard to bear!"[14]
More at Wikipedia.
With this sort of early history as a hockey player he might have become one of the greatest at his position had it not been for the freak accident that killed him.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.