The NHL and hockey organizations around the country are joining to mourn the death of a Connecticut high school player who died after sustaining an on-ice injury.
Teddy Balkind, a sophomore at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Ct., died Thursday after he fell to the ice during a junior varsity game at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Ct. Another player was unable to stop and collided with Balkind, cutting his neck with his skate.
Balkind was taken to Greenwich Hospital and was pronounced dead.
“Our community is mourning,” St. Luke’s head of school Mark Davis said in a statement issued Friday. “Yesterday, we lost a precious young man in a tragic accident. Both St. Luke’s School and Brunswick School are in shock as we work to support our students and families. St. Luke’s singular focus at this moment is to care for our devastated community.”
The larger hockey community issued statements of support, with players putting their sticks outside their front doors and teams outside their locker rooms to honor Balkind.
“Our local community and the entire hockey world is hurting over the unimaginable loss of Teddy Balkind this week,” the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League posted to Twitter on Saturday. “Our prayers and most heartfelt condolences are with his family and his many friends, and his St. Luke’s teammates and opponents.”
The news hit especially hard for Cam Atkinson, a forward with the Philadelphia Flyers who was born and raised in Connecticut.
“I’m heartbroken for the Balkind family and everyone who knew and loved Teddy,” Atkinson posted to social media, sharing a photo of his stick by his front door. “We’re sending our love to the St. Luke’s and Brunswick communities. A horrible tragedy playing the game we all love #sticksoutforteddy.”
–Field Level Media
