Associated Press
Davidson: Sudden death of goalie has “far-reaching effects”
Matiss Kivlenieks was with teammate and close friend Elvis Merzlikins in Michigan for the wedding of the daughter of Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender coach Manny Legace and a Fourth of July celebration. The festive weekend ended in tragedy Sunday night when the 24-year-old goaltender from Latvia, who was spending the summer in the United States, was killed in a freak fireworks accident at Legace’s house in Novi, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit. Now the organization for which he played since his professional career began in 2017 is in mourning, working with his family in Latvia to arrange memorial services and making mental health counselors available for those who need it, said John Davidson, the Blue Jackets’ president of hockey operations.