The sports community mourns a beloved athlete.
Columbus Blue Jackets goalkeeper Matiss Kiwlenieks died after sustaining a fatal head injury during a tragic July 4 incident at a home in Novi, Michigan. He was 24.
“There appears to have been a malfunction in the fireworks that resulted in a group of people escaping the hot tub, including the deceased who slipped and hit his head on the concrete,” said Lt. Jason Meier the Novi Police Department said in a statement to E! News. Kiwlenieks was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital by medical staff on Sunday evening.
When news of the NHL star’s death broke, many fans and other members of the sports community paid tribute to him. “We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks and we express our deepest condolences to his mother. Astrid, his family and friends in this devastating time “, John Davidson, Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations, said on Monday, July 5th. “Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted everyone with a smile every day and who will not forget the impact he had during his four years with our organization.”
