Officials: Connecticut high school hockey player did not fall before fatal accident

Officials: Connecticut high school hockey player did not fall before fatal accident

St. Luke’s School 10th-grader Teddy Balkind did not fall on the ice before succumbing to an fatal neck injury during a game at Brunswick School in Greenwich last week, according to school and police officials.

On behalf of the Balkinds, St. Luke’s Head of School Mark Davis released a letter posted on the school’s website on Wednesday clarifying that Balkind didn’t fall to the ice, instead, he was skating upright and low during the junior varsity game on Jan. 6.

“During the normal course of play, another player’s leg momentarily went into the air and, through no fault of anyone’s, or any lack of control, his skate cut Teddy,” the letter read.

“Why is this important to share? Because it’s accurate and because it emphasizes the lack of any fault. These boys were excellent skaters, playing a great and fair game when an unimaginable accident wreaked havoc.”

Game play was stopped and 911 was called. The 10th-grader was transported to Greenwich Hospital where he died as a result from the injury.

Hours after the incident, Greenwich Police Capt. Mark Zuccerella said Balkind, 16, fell to the ice and another player who was near him was unable to stop and collided with him.

“During the normal course of the game, a player from the other team fell to the ice. Another player who was near the downed player was unable to stop and collided with the player who fell,” Zuccerella said. “The player on the ice sustained an injury.”

Zuccerella told News 8 Friday that Balkind fell to the ice after sustaining the injury.

“I see how this part of the statement may have been interpreted incorrectly,” Zuccerella said. “This was a tragic incident. There was never any indication this was anything other than a tragic accident, nor was anyone to blame.”

The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Balkind died of an incised wound of the neck and ruled the death an accident.

“The Balkinds know these teams are carrying the weight of this tragedy on their shoulders. They hope setting the record straight will lift some of that weight and help the healing begin,” Davis wrote in the letter.

Balkind’s death has brought forth waves of sympathy and support from the global hockey community but has also brought calls for change.

On Friday, Connecticut State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-Seymour) said she plans to introduce legislation during the upcoming session to require all hockey players wear a neck guard or similar protective device during practice or games.

“It’s incredibly heartbreaking what happened last week and sadly this tragic accident may have been preventable had the teams been required to wear neck guards,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria, a certified sports athletic trainer said. “Fast-paced and physical sports like hockey can sometimes be dangerous which is why players wear shin pads, gloves and other protective equipment, a neck guard is one more small piece to keep players safe.”

Rules aimed at preventing such a tragedy have been in place for CIAC schools since 2001.

“Commercially manufactured throat guards designed specifically for ice hockey are required for all players, including goaltenders during regular season and tournament play,” the CIAC rules state.

Those rules do not apply to private schools and some youth hockey programs. St. Luke’s, a New Canaan-based prep school, and Brunswick play in the Fairchester Athletic Association, which, like most prep school conferences, follows the policy of USA Hockey and the NCAA, which recommend rather than require the wearing of neck guards.

“The NCAA does not require neck gear on the ice,” said John Hissick, who coaches at Kingswood Oxford in West Hartford, a Fairchester and New England Prep School Athletic Conference member. “And, so up until this point in time, I can’t honestly say it’s ever been an issue or even been discussed.”

This much has changed. Hissick, whose child wears neck gear as required by youth hockey in Connecticut, said conversations are already taking place within the prep school conference.

“I honestly can’t see how it can’t change,” he said. “... As a coach I don’t have the authority to make those calls, even though I have to go by the rules that are given to me.”

Rep. Klarides-Ditria said she has spoken with House Republican Leader Vin Candelora and Deputy Republican Leader Tom O’Dea and several local hockey coaches who support the concept.

“The safety of our children is a priority in the legislature and I’m hopeful this proposal — or a similar measure — will pass the legislature this session with broad bipartisan support,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria said. “Coaches and athletic trainers focus on trying to prevent and treat athletic injuries to keep players safe, but with this simple rule change the legislature has the potential to save lives.”

Neck guards are generally made of a high impact plastic, such as lexan or Kevlar, or a ballistic nylon designed to resist cuts. They are lightweight and cover most of the neck, attaching with Velcro in the back. It is not known for certain whether Balkind was wearing a throat guard.

Last weekend, Samuel Brande, a high school-age player from Wayland, Massachusetts, and a close friend of Balkind’s, started a Change.org petition asking USA Hockey to make neck guards mandatory.

“For most of my childhood I wore them,” Brande told the Courant. “I stopped a couple of years back, and I’m not sure why, but since my friend’s accident I’ve been wearing them. It’s very important to me. My end goal is to get USA Hockey to change the rule across the board across the country. In order to do that, show that people care about his issue.”

As of Saturday morning, Brande’s petition had more than 74,000 supporters. Stores selling hockey equipment in the area have seen an increase in customers looking to buy protective equipment.

“Just as fatal as a head injury can be, we just saw a neck injury can be just as fatal,” Brande said. “We wear helmets, so why don’t we wear neck guards? The neck is one of the more vulnerable spots on the body when we’re playing hockey. It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t see a downside. It’s keeping us safe and the one I‘m wearing I don’t even know it’s there.”

In CIAC games, players not wearing proper neck protection are subject to penalty, usually after one warning. Referees will likely be reminded to watch more closely.

“I haven’t found it to be a big issue with kids,” E.O. Smith-Tolland coach John Hodgson said. “It’s a minor inconvenience for a high school kid sometimes, but if you make it a part of the deal they just do it. You have something wrapped around your neck, most of us don’t go through the day like that, so you do feel it. But you have your body full of gear, so I don’t think it has a major impact.”

Information from Courant writer Dom Amore was used in this report.