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Two recreational hockey players die on same night, at same rink
by Forechecker on 02/24/09 at 12:15 PM ET
Comments (4)
As if I didn’t feel sore enough already after my beer-league game last night, this sobering news from San Jose (hat tip to AOL’s NHL FanHouse) got my attention. Two adult recreational players died Sunday night in separate incidents during their games at Sharks Ice.
Brian Kobata, 38. and Kelly Calabro (memorial at team’s website), 41, both collapsed on the ice just a few hours apart and rescue attempts failed to revive them. From the San Jose Mercury News:
“It’s a very unfortunate and tragic situation,” said Ken Arnold, senior director of communications for Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, which operates the facility at Tenth Street and East Alma Avenue.
Sharks Ice, which is the official practice rink for the San Jose Sharks, is home to the largest adult hockey league in the nation, with 3,000 registered players. However, the strenuous sport can be hard on older players. Arnold said ambulances are called to the rink about once every 18 months.
The cause of death has not been determined for either man, family members said.
Heidi Kobata was at the rink watching her husband skate off the ice on Sunday night when he suddenly fell. She is expecting the couple’s first child in June and said her husband had not had any health problems
As a 38 year-old beer leaguer whose best playing days were 10 years and 40 pounds ago, this story just hit home with me this morning.
Filed in: NHL Commentary | On the Forecheck | Permalink
Comments
I used to play with Kelly Calabro, and still play/officiate at that facilty. Yes, they have a defibrillator. It was used in both cases to try and revive the players. Sadly, neither attempt was successful. Amazingly to me, most teams actually have at least one guy who works in the medical field, so in both cases someone who is an EMT was there and tried to administer CPR.
Posted by Josh on 02/25/09 at 02:56 PM ET
Thanks for the input, Josh, that’s greatly appreciated.
On a lighter note, a guy I used to play on rec league teams back in Michigan long ago was an EMT; the stories from some of his runs through the spicier sections of Detroit made for a great way to loosen up the locker room before a game!
Posted by Forechecker from Nolensville, TN on 02/25/09 at 03:10 PM ET
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About On the Forecheck
Dirk Hoag is the Forechecker, churner of NHL stats and analysis. Having started over 10 years ago writing for websites like In the Crease and e-Sports, Dirk launched On The Forecheck in 2005 to cover the Nashville Predators as well as apply statistical analysis to NHL hockey.
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Yikes. That is really scary, Dirk. Holy cow.
Posted by Rob Robinson from Nashville, TN on 02/24/09 at 12:52 PM ET