16-year-old hockey player dies from stroke complications on Christmas Day

We are keeping the Scanlan family in our thoughts and prayers. 16-year-old Cormick Scanlan, a Minnesota high school hockey player, died on Christmas Day after undergoing emergency surgery for a stroke caused by a rare condition called moyamoya disease. It is a rare blood vessel disorder in which a skull artery becomes narrowed or blocked.

Scanlan, who was a member of the St. Paul Capitals hockey organization, suffered a stroke earlier in December and underwent surgery. He however suffered additional strokes and “passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family”, the St. Paul Capitols Hockey Association said in a statement. They added that “Our strength is with the Scanlans and all who loved Cormick.”

The team and St. Paul hockey community paid respects to the Scanlan family during a moment of silence prior to a game on Dec. 22 with many players wearing #17 stickers on their helmets, hoping Scanlan would recover.

“We kind of thought, ‘Hey now we know what it is, they’re going to do this procedure and he’s going to battle back,’” Scanlan’s coach Derek Weinke told the outlet.

“‘We don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side, but it’s Cormick, he’s going to battle through this’ and then things took a turn and then it got worse,” he added.

If you are able to help this family as they face this tragic loss, the Cretin-Derham Hall student created a Go Fund me page.

Our hearts go out to everyone who knew and loved Cormick Scanlan.

Recommended articles:

• Kris Letang returns 12 days after suffering a stroke.
• Unbelievable update on Kris Letang!
• Penguins under fire amidst Kris Letang’s recovery
• Unexpected update in Kris Letang’s situation
• Kris Letang suffers another stroke and is out indefinitely!