Less than two months ago, Matiss Kivlenieks picked up a clean sheet against Canada at the World Championships for Latvia and was named the best player on his team.
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“He died a hero. These are not my words, but the words of the doctors. He saved a lot of lives. When that happened, I was standing about six to nine meters behind him, hugging my wife. He saved my son, my wife and me, “Merzlikins reminded him that his wife Aleksandra is in the third trimester.
“I will give my son the middle name Matiss,” Merzlikins teared at the tragic death of his friend, whom he called his younger brother during his lifetime.
“He saved my son, he saved my wife and he saved me. … He died as hero.”
Elvis Merzlikins at the memorial service for Matiss Kivlenieks. Kivlenieks died after he was struck in the chest by a fireworks mortar shell on July 4. pic.twitter.com/69C09ggG67
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 15, 2021
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On July 4, Kivlenieks celebrated Independence Day in Michigan in the garden of the home of former NHL goalkeeper Manny Legace, now a Columbus goalie coach who was marrying his daughter. A participant in this year’s World Championships in Riga, where he helped the home Latvians catch a zero for a sensational triumph over the later world champions Canadians, was in the hot tub with friends less than two weeks ago when fireworks failed and began to explode towards the party.
Latvian goalkeeper Matiss Kivlenieks
The ordered autopsy then revealed that Kivlenieks had been hit by pyrotechnics in his chest, damaging his heart and lungs and causing fatal injuries. Rescued paramedics took the goalkeeper to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. And a subsequent police investigation called the death an accident.
“I’d just like to tell you something about his last day. There were 60, 70, maybe 80 people. If it wasn’t for me and my wife, it could affect any of the 50 other people. If he just sat there, it wouldn’t happen (his death). I just want to say that he died a hero, saved many lives, “said Merzlikins, the Legation standing next to him, in whose Kivlenieks family lived for part of the year during the coronavirus pandemic and they took him as their son, covering his teary eyes with his hand.
Blue Jackets’ Matiss Kivlenieks memorialized with tears, laughter and memories https://t.co/Qr87sOZCR4 via @DispatchAlerts
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) July 15, 2021
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“Look how many people you have intervened in, the lives of Matissa. Even Torts came to your funeral, and he hates goalkeepers, “Legation tried to bring at least a bit of humor into his mourning speech by mentioning today’s former Columbus coach John Tortorell before thanking Kivlenieks’ parents for raising such a great son.
The native of Riga left overseas at a young age, and although he did not pass the draft, in 2017 he signed a Columbus contract with him. Last January, Kivlenieks made his NHL debut in a duel with the NY Rangers and took a 2: 1 win. He was supposed to get a lot more space in the NHL next season. But it won’t happen again …
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