A goaltender literally put it all on the line for his men’s league team and met a tragic end.
A 64-year-old man died earlier this week shortly after being hit in the chest with the puck while making a save during an adult-league hockey game in Florida, according to reports.
The yet-to-be-identified man was playing goaltender for the Kraken Bears at Jacksonville’s Community First Igloo on Tuesday night when he was struck with a puck during a game against the Fireballs, per the city’s sheriff’s office.
“He complained of feeling unwell and exited the game,” police wrote in an incident report, the Miami Herald reported.
The man later collapsed after heading into the stands. Several nearby witnesses jumped in and quickly began performing CPR until a medical professional arrived to find him unconscious.
The man was still in his hockey uniform when he was taken from the venue to a nearby hospital.
He died around 11:20 p.m., according to the police report, and a cause of death has yet to be announced by authorities.
Family members who were with the man during the incident said he did not have any preexisting medical conditions.
According to the Daily Mail, the Community First Igloo has yet to comment on the situation while continuing to advertise events at the rink.
One of the coming events is the 24 Hockey Adult Tournament Series which runs April 25-27.
The Community First Igloo says it has the only NHL-sized rinks in Northeast Florida and the venue’s Instagram page mentions the adult league, with photos of many participants.
Other events that the arena hosts include curling, figure skating, and sledge hockey.