04/26/24
November 16, 2011
Teen Killed by Puck During Hockey Game: Edmonton minor hockey player Kyle Fundytus, 16, died Sunday after he was hit in the throat by a puck during a midget double-A game the night before in Edmonton. Fundytus was wearing a neck guard, which are mandatory in all minor hockey in Canada.
I should also add that neck guards are primarily designed to stop cuts from skates and sticks, not necessarily direct blunt impact from pucks.
posted by insomnyuk at 12:38 PM on November 16, 2011
The last time I played organized hockey (22 years ago), my neck protector was a separate wrap-around pieced of fabric-covered rigid plastic. It protected me from skate blades and pucks. The downside was that it was loose (otherwise it would be too uncomfortable to wear), and would shift position enough that the top of my neck would still be vulnerable at times.
posted by grum@work at 01:42 PM on November 16, 2011
Very sad. (Edmontonian myself.)
posted by Drood at 02:45 PM on November 16, 2011
When I was playing hockey throughout my youth, we randomly heard stories of kids dying. Sometimes, we heard about choking on mouthguards; sometimes it was a puck that hit them in the chest and stoped their heart (a la Chris Pronger). Like this young man's coach and teammates say, it's just one of those freak things. Any sport carries with it a certain amount of risk, and sometimes shit just happens.
That being said, it doesnt make the loss to his family and friends any less sad or tragic.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:57 PM on November 16, 2011
When I played minor hockey in Ohio, neck guards were required but they don't really cover the entire neck and the referees did spotty enforcement in terms of requiring players to actually wear them. Lots of players didn't wear them. This is really sad.