Balkind, a sophomore at St. Luke’s School, was taken to Greenwich Hospital and died that night as a result of the injury. Today we will discuss about Teddy Balkind: Accident| Hockey player video| Tragedy| ED
Teddy Balkind: Accident| Hockey player video| Tragedy| ED
Tragic death of high school hockey player Teddy Balkind calls for inevitable spark for noble guards
Balkind, 16, was playing a junior varsity game when he fell on the ice. Another player could not stop near him and collided with him. Play was stopped and 911 was called.
Accident
GREENWICH, Connecticut – A Connecticut 10th grade hockey player has died after falling into the snow and another player was cut on the neck by a skate, school officials and police said.
The accident occurred on Thursday, when the junior varsity team at Brunswick School, a college preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, played at St. Luke’s School, a private co-educational school in New Canaan.
St Luke’s on Friday identified the player as Teddy Balkind. Greenwich Police Captain Mark Zucerella said on Friday that he fell on the ice and another player could not stop and collided with him.
Brunswick school head Thomas Phillip said in a statement that Balkind suffered a neck injury. He said that those who were into the game described the play as “totally normal and unremarkable in the game of hockey”.
“I want to commend our medical, coaching and security staff for what they did under the most dire conditions to sustain the boy until the ambulance arrived,” Philip wrote.
No classes were held on Friday because of the snow storm, but St Luke’s school head Mark Davis said the building would remain open at noon so the community could gather to mourn.
Hockey player video
New Canaan, Conn. (CBSNew York) — There is a push to mandate neck guards for youth hockey players in Connecticut after a 10th grade boy was killed during an ice incident last week.
The death of 16-year-old Teddy Balkind has sent shock waves through the Connecticut community.
The teenager died last week after another player was hit by a skate during a game between her school, St Luke’s, and Brunswick School.
Teddy’s friend Samuel Brand is now advocating for change.
“I’m going to change a rule. I’ll make the kids wear neck guards. I’m going to make hockey safe,” he said.
As CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon reports, he has started a petition asking USA Hockey to start requiring neck guards for players.
“We wear helmets, we wear shin pads, we wear gloves, we wear chest protectors. Neck guards should be in that category and they are not,” Samuel said.
Currently, USA Hockey and its state affiliate, the Connecticut Hockey Conference, which regulates youth hockey, only recommend neck guards.
Locally, the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), which oversees Teddy’s school, also does not require them, although its public school counterpart, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, does.
“We won’t be able to enforce it because we’re the only people who need it, and if 49 other states don’t find it necessary, what makes you a better specialist than anyone else?” Art Blakeslee, vice president of the Connecticut Hockey Conference.
Blakeslee says that as of 2018, Connecticut was the only state requiring neck guards, but pushback from players and parents prompted the group to soften its stance.
Tragedy
The hockey player was in the tenth grade at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan. “He died after another ice skater’s skate cut his neck after falling on the ice during the game,” the medical examiner told NBC News in an email.
Greenwich Police captain Mark Zucerella said last week that the player who collided with Teddy was unable to stop.
St. Luke was playing Greenwich Prep School, Brunswick School on Thursday when Teddy was mortally wounded.
ED
Born on November 9, 2005 in Greenwich, Connecticut, he was the son of Buck and Leslie Balkind.
Teddy attended St. Luke’s School, where he played on the varsity hockey team. An avid lover of the outdoors, Teddy spent his time biking through local trails and mountains, and his time mountain biking with his god-father in Stowe, Vermont. He spent his summers on Lake Bantam at Camp Avosting, where he fished, swam and swam with his friends. Although he sometimes didn’t spend enough time doing homework, he was a master of the Xbox, eating hamburgers and making desserts after every meal. He was proud of his work at New Canaan Cycle, where he devoted his weekend to bike fixing.
He had many passions throughout his childhood, and devoted countless hours to fulfill them. Amazingly independent and self-confident, Teddy was not afraid of anything. He really loved nothing more than to be in the presence of those people and learn from them – whether at home, on the snow, on the mountain or at school. He was always able to find the best in others and really tried to emulate them. Never failed to make those around him laugh, his infectious smile lighted up every room, and he wasn’t afraid to prank the unexpected. He was undeniably loyal and would do anything for his loved ones, including impulsively making crepes for his family on Sunday mornings.
