28 DEATH By Hockey Puck - Brittanie Cecil, USA

You see the fights all the time on the ice but who would have thought a great sport such as hockey could result in tragedy - not in the rink, but out - to a beautiful, innocent, young fan. It's been almost 12 years already but I still remember the day I read about this unfortunate incident.

Brittanie Nichole Cecil

Brittanie Nichole Cecil (March 20, 1988 – March 18, 2002) was a hockey fan who died from injuries suffered when a puck was deflected into the stands and struck her in the left temple at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 16, 2002.


Death
A few days before her birthday and as an early gift by her dad for her 14th birthday, Brittanie was given tickets to see the Columbus Blue Jackets play the Calgary Flames on March 16, 2002.  Brittanie, along with her stepmother, was seated in row S, section 121, when she saw something flying through the air. She had no clue a hockey puck was heading for her until it hit her in the head, right above her nose which then deflected off another fan. The unfortunate flying puck was the result of a shot made by the Blue Jackets' Espen Knutsen which was deflected by the Flames' Derek Morris which went over the glass behind the net.