16-Year-Old Russian Hockey Player Dies After Getting Hit in Neck by Puck Traveling 100 MPH

Alexander Orekhov died this week after sustaining a devastating injury last month.

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Back on January 14, a 16-year-old Russian hockey player named Alexander Orekhov, who was widely regarded as one of the best players in his age group in Russia, was hit in the neck by a puck traveling more than 100 MPH during a game. The puck damaged his carotid artery, broke several bones in his neck, and forced him to go into cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the hospital after it happened and put into a medically-induced coma to allow doctors to try and save his life.

Unfortunately, Orekhov passed away this week after trying to battle back from the devastating injury. He reportedly died of heart failure.

“Today, we lost Alexander to his injuries,” the general manager for Orekhov’s team Metallurg Novokuznetsk said yesterday. “We just want to express our deepest condolences to the family. This is an irreplaceable loss for all of hockey.”

Such an incredibly sad story.

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[via The Guardian]

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