By Walker Clemans

In a tragic event that has shocked the hockey world, high school hockey player Teddy Balkind died Thursday, January 6 during a tragic accident in a game at Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut. Balkind fell to the ice after a check and then received a fatal laceration to the neck from another player’s skate. 

Teddy Balkind. Photo courtesy of abc13.com.

Balkind was rushed to the hospital, where he died of his injuries. Balkind was a sophomore at St. Luke’s, a 5-12 independent school in New Cannan, CT, who enjoyed sports and the outdoors. This event has rocked the hockey community, leading to an outpouring of support from all levels of the sport, from youth teams to the NHL. The Boston Bruins hung a jersey bearing the last name Balkind from the rafters of TD Garden on January 13. Eve Clemans (‘24), a national-level hockey player and my sister, said, “It’s crazy. Like, you never think that playing the sport you love is how you’re gonna’ die. Teddy and I are the same age. We grew up playing hockey one town over from each other, probably in the same rinks. You never think something like this is gonna’ happen.”

The hashtag #sticksoutforteddy has gained momentum on social media, with players at all levels leaving their sticks outside with the porch light on as a tribute to Balkind. The support shown by the hockey community in Connecticut and beyond has shown the tight-knit nature of this sport.

This is not the first time tragedy in the hockey community has led to a massive outpouring of support for those affected. In April 2018, a bus crash killed most of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team in Saskatchewan, Canada. There were gofundme pages set up for the team, and large donations made by total strangers to help pay for some of the survivors’ hospital bills. 

This event has both hurt and brought the hockey community closer together around the continent. 

Featured image credit: Santeri Viinamäki via Wikimedia Commons.