St. Luke’s hockey player remembered as ‘born leader’

NEW CANAAN — Outpourings of sympathy and support for a Connecticut high school hockey player — described as a “born leader” — who died after being injured in a game Thursday have continued as the state medical examiner’s office released the cause of his death.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Saturday that Teddy Balkind died by a wound of the neck and ruled it an accident.

Balkind, a sophomore at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, sustained the fatal injury when he was clipped by the skate of another player after he had fallen on the ice during a game at Brunswick School in Greenwich Thursday evening, officials said.

Balkind was rushed to Greenwich Hospital where he died, Greenwich Police Capt. Mark Zuccerella said.

Balkind is being remembered for his happy and pleasant demeanor.

“He always seemed to enjoy every minute of every day,” said Lisa Harrison, who worked at Camp Awosting in Litchfield County where Balkind spent many summers.

“He was just a really good kid,” she said.

Saint Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in New Canaan prayed the rosary for Balkind and his family Saturday morning. About 400 people attended the service in-person and 450 others watched it online, according to Rev. Robert Kinnally.

The hour-long service was led by teen rosary leaders and included prayers, messages of comfort and music.

“Teddy and his family are not our parishioners, but our hearts are broken,” Kinnally said. “We gathered to pray for Teddy, his family and for all who mourn his passing. Prayer draws us closer to the God who has always loved and cared for Teddy and will continue to do so. Praying as a community reminds us that God is in our midst and will walk with us in our pain.”

From the local community to those he played with at St. Luke’s and the New Canaan Winter Club to the National Hockey League and professional players, Balkind’s death has been felt by many in recent days.

“Teddy Balkind was a fearless, beautiful soul, who was full of life and a friend to all,” Camp Awosting said in an email to families Friday. “He had an infectious, positive personality, which quickly spread to others in all aspects of Awosting life.”

The camp called Balkind a “born leader,” and named him the 2021 Iroquois Tribal Captain. He also received numerous awards while at camp, including the mountain bikes medal and trophy multiple years in a row.

“Teddy led by example, was a mentor to our younger campers and was just an amazing young man,” the camp said.

Balkind was also athletic. While at camp, he enjoyed mountain biking as well as swimming and other water sports. As one of the smaller kids, Harrison said Balkind would often go flying off when it was his turn for the blob — a large inflatable — on the lake.

Harrison said Balkind was “always happy, just very pleasant” and “very polite.”

“He was one of those people that everybody liked immediately,” she said.

Campers would get excited when they found out Teddy was in their cabin for the summer, Harrison said.

“He was a good person to be around,” she added. He was “just always in the moment and always happy and not letting outside things bring him down.”

While at the camp, Balkind became fast friends with Harrison’s 16-year-old son.

“He’s so upset about it,” she said.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” she said. “This was an accident.”

“You just don’t think something like that will happen,” she added.

In a tweet, the National Hockey League called Balkind’s death “tragic.” Many of the league’s professional teams and some of the players have shared similar messages.

“Our prayers and most heartfelt condolences go out to his family, his St. Luke’s teammates and his many friends,” the NHL tweeted late Friday night.

The Premier Hockey Federation, a professional North American women’s hockey league, also expressed its condolences.

The Connecticut Whale, which competes in the Premier Hockey Federation,

tweeted their “deepest condolences and support to his family, school, teammates and the Connecticut hockey community.”

The men and women’s hockey teams at the University of Connecticut, Yale University, and Connecticut’s other state schools expressed their condolences as well.

All of these tweets, along with hundreds of others, were accompanied by the hashtag, “#sticksoutforteddy,” many accompanied by photos of hockey sticks placed outside of a house. Leaving sticks outside is a hockey tradition that began after a 2018 crash that killed 16 people aboard a junior hockey team’s bus in Saskatchewan.

Before the girls hockey game between New Canaan High School and LaSalle Academy on Saturday, players and coaches took a moment to honor Balkind.