Hockey Players Collapse, Die Hours Apart At Same Rink
26/02/2009 04:23
Tragedy struck twice in California on Sunday night, when two recreational league hockey players collapsed while playing and died hours apart.
Both men were playing at Sharks Ice in San Jose, the official training centre of the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Brian Kobata, 38, collapsed while playing and two teammates rushed to his aid, using a defibrillator and giving him CPR. Paramedics were then called and Kobata was taken to hospital at 9:06 p.m. PT.
During a game that started at 11:15 p.m. PT, Kelly Calabro, 41, suddenly fell on his back.
Teammates tried to revive him using CPR, but failed.
"It's a very unfortunate and tragic situation," said Ken Arnold, senior director of communications for Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, which operates Sharks Ice, told the News.
Family members told the News that the cause of death hasn't been determined for either man.
Kobata's wife, Heidi, told the News she was at the rink watching her husband play.
Heidi Kobata, who is expecting the couple's first child in June, told the paper her husband had no health problems.
A 2002 study by three Sydney, N.S., cardiologists found that among the 500,000 men and 70,000 women who play recreational hockey in Canada, about 10 people die every year of heart attacks while on the ice.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I knew there was a reason I never played recreational hockey.