ZIP Advertisement This hits hard : Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks dies at 24 from fireworks mortar blast Share Updated: 5:50 PM CDT Jul 5, 2021 By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Hockey Writer Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks (80) in warm up before a game between the Bastion Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 2, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. SOURCE: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
GET NATIONAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS
The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Advertisement This hits hard : Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks dies at 24 from fireworks mortar blast
NHL goalie Matiss Kivlenieks dies after “tragic accident” with fireworks
Michigan police have confirmed that the Latvian died of trauma to the chest after the incident at a Fourth of July gathering on Sunday evening.
BRUCE BENNETT
AFP
National Hockey League team Columbus Blue Jacket have confirmed that their goaltender
Matiss Kivlenieks has died of fireworks mortar blast, chest trauma after an incident with an errant firework on the Fourth of July.
The tragic accident came about when
fireworks at a private gathering tilted and began firing towards the crowd. Kivlenieks was with others in a hot tub when the incident happened and it was initially thought that the 24-year-old had slipped and hit his head while attempting to flee. However an autopsy has since confirmed that a
increase font size
Blue Jackets goalie dies from errant firework blast
Columbus goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, was struck by a mortar-style firework during a private Fourth of July celebration.
By STEPHEN WHYNOAssociated Press
Read Article
Matiss Kivlenieks played two games for the Columbus Blue Jackets this winter and was seen as a possible No. 2 goaltender for the team next season.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast in what authorities described Monday as a tragic accident on the Fourth of July.
Police in Novi, Michigan, said the firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night. The 24-year-old Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and tried to get clear with several other people, police Lt. Jason Meier said. Authorities earlier said the Lativan had died of an apparent head injury during a fall, but an autopsy clarified the cause of death.
Blue Jackets goalie dies after fireworks accident
THIS CORRECTS THAT KIVLENIEKS DIED OF CHEST TRAUMA FROM AN ERRANT FIREWORKS MORTAR BLAST AND NOT A SUBSEQUENT FALL AS AUTHORITIES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED - FILE - Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks (80) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game in New York, in this Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, file photo. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Latvian Hockey Federation said Monday, July 5, 2021, that 24-year-old goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has died. A medical examiner in Michigan says 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. Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night, July 4. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) Kathy Willens
1 of 9
THIS CORRECTS THAT KIVLENIEKS DIED OF CHEST TRAUMA FROM AN ERRANT FIREWORKS MORTAR BLAST AND NOT A SUBSEQUENT FALL AS AUTHORITIES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED - FILE - Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks (80) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game in New York, in this Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, file photo. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Latvian Hockey Federation said Monday, July 5, 2021, that 24-year-old goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has died. A medical examiner in Michigan says 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. Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night, July 4.