22 year old player dies tragically after freak accident on the ice.

This is so sad.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
22 year old player dies tragically after freak accident on the ice.
Keystone Press

I'd be lying if I said this story didn't completely ruin the start of my day today but obviously how I feel about the entire situation is the least of anyone's concerns, especially for those who have been directly impacted by this terrible tragedy.

On Thursday night in Langley, British Columbia a young 22 year old hockey player tragically lost his life in a horrible freak accident while playing the game that he loved, a game that all of us love so much. That young man's name was Noah Trulsen and based on all the accounts coming from his teammates following this incident he was one of the world's "gentle giants" and a pretty good hockey player in his own right. 

Now in a sport like hockey you could envision a seemingly endless number of scenarios in which a player could be seriously injured but the first several that come to your mind would likely involve some form of violence delivered from one player to another. This however was not such a case and the freakish nature of how this happened makes the story that much more depressing in my estimation. According to a report from TSN Trulsen was quickly making his way to the bench for what was believed to have been an attempt at a line change, but unfortunately Trulsen never made back to the bench. 

Instead Trulsen's skate got caught in a crack or crevice on the ice and that was enough to make the big man lose his balance and that was enough to lead to the devastating injury that cost him his life. Fellow teammate Gerry Leiper, who also happens to manage the league that Trulsen was playing in at the time of the incident, claims that he saw Trulsen's forehead smash into the top of the boards, causing his visor to come down on the bridge of his nose in the process. After the impact Trulsen lay sprawled out on the ice where both the referee on the ice as well as the team's goaltender tried to perform CPR in order to bring Trulsen back to consciousness, but their efforts proved to be futile. Paramedics were reportedly quick to arrive on scene but unsurprisingly to Leiper it felt like an eternity as he watched his friend lay there on the ice.

"I can't remember if we did one more compression set or the ambulance guys got there. It felt like a long time but it was probably only five minutes, maybe 10 minutes max," Leiper said as per TSN.

Players were reportedly seen weeping as Trulsen was carted off the ice by paramedics, an indication that they knew very early on that something was seriously wrong with their teammate. The six foot four 240lbs defenseman was eventually pronounced dead as a result of his injuries although we will have to wait for a full autopsy to determine exactly what it is that caused Trulsen to so tragically lose his life. 

In a show of unbelievable class and grace in a moment of horror for any parent, Trulsen's father Rick Trulsen reportedly returned to thank players and the referee for trying to save his son and for being there in the final moments of his life. I know the tragic loss of life is the big story here, but something about Rick's situation in particular really struck a nerve with me, I can't express how deeply sorry I am for his loss. 

My thoughts go out to Rick, Noah's mother Lorraine and all of his friends, family and loved ones at this terrible time. 

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