After hockey player’s death, his friend aims to make the sport safer
He wanted to do something for Teddy Balkind. He wanted to do something for one of his closest friends.
Sam Brande had no idea 43 words could hold such power.
“As soon as I heard about the accident and what happened, I was really motivated to get the rule changed in USA Hockey,” Brande said Monday. “In order to bring awareness and to show USA Hockey it’s a real issue, and that people care, I should start a petition and see how many supporters I could get. “I never expected to get as far as I am right now. I think the publicity will be really helpful.”
Brande and Balkind had exchanged messages Thursday on Snapchat. Nothing momentous. Nothing profound.
“Just two kids Snapchatting each other like we always did,” Brande said. “I had no idea it would be the last communication I’d ever have with him.”
Hours later, Teddy Balkind, a sophomore at St. Luke’s School, was dead.
He had fallen to the ice during at a junior varsity game against Brunswick School at Hartong Rink. Another player was unable to avoid him and his skate blade cut Balkind’s neck.
After being treated on the ice, Balkind was rushed to Greenwich Hospital. Surgery could not save his life.
The loss of such a young athlete in such a horrifying tragedy shook Connecticut and it shook the hockey world. Condolences arrived from everywhere they pull on skates and break out the pucks. From the NHL on down.
In Wayland, Mass., some 170 miles away, Sam Brande decided he wanted to do more. He went to Change.org to start a petition to make neck guards mandatory in USA Hockey, the sport’s national governing body.
“I lost one of my best friends due to lack of player safety rules in USA Hockey,” Brande wrote. “Please consider signing this so we can raise awareness and nobody needs to lose a loved one or a life in a avoidable accident. Thank you.”
USA Hockey recommends players wear a neck laceration protector, choosing a design that covers as much of the neck area as possible. It does not make it mandatory.
The Connecticut Hockey Conference, governing youth hockey, and CIAC, overseeing state high schools, do require neck laceration guards. However, Connecticut prep schools are not governed by the CIAC and — according to some written guidelines found online play under NCAA rules. The NCAA does not make neck guards mandatory. They are required in minor hockey in Canada.
Attempts to reach officials from the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) to simply confirm its neck guard rules 100 percent also have been unsuccessful. Considering the concerns for athletic safety and accuracy that is nothing short of maddening. The league follows USA Hockey rules for on-ice rules.
Neither St. Luke’s nor Greenwich police have released whether Teddy Balkind was wearing a neck guard.
There does need to be a change among youth hockey players in America. And good for Sam Brande, Teddy Balkind’s buddy, for pushing hard to make it a national athletic referendum.
In two days, as of early Monday night, Brande had gathered more than 35,000 signatures.
“I’ve never really done anything like this before,” said the 16-year-old sophomore at Wayland High School. “I’ve seen some of the really big (issues) before online, but I never expected to see Teddy get so much support from around the country and the world.”
Growing up, Sam lived on the campus of South Kent
School. His dad Richard, who is now director of admissions and marketing at Hillside (Mass.) School, was director of admissions and started the Selects hockey program at South Kent. Yet as much as Teddy Balkind and Sam Brande loved and lived hockey, they did not become friends in Connecticut because of the game.
“I met Teddy around six years ago at sleepaway camp,” Brande said of Camp Awosting in Morris. “We were in the same cabin for like six years. We already had moved to Massachusetts in 2013 when I started going. We just became really, really good summertime friends who stayed in touch the whole year.
“We played Xbox all the time, Snapchat all the time. We were very close. The friendship was not born through hockey and I think in a lot of ways that’s why we had such a strong friendship.”
What made Teddy Balkind special? Sam Brande didn’t need five seconds to answer.
“He was so, so positive about everything he did,” he said. “Teddy could turn any situation and show you how to have a positive outlook on it. He brought others around him up. If the mood was dull or down, he’d always fix it. You just couldn’t be upset around Teddy.”
Brande has played for his high school team, but the South Shore Kings U-16 team is his major commitment. It has not been mandatory to wear a neck guard.
“Since the accident, a bunch of the guys have gone out and purchased neck guards,” Brande said.
He said he wore one growing up, but he stopped for a time.
“Since Teddy’s accident, I went back to wearing one immediately,” he said. “First time back on the ice Friday afternoon at practice, I wore it.”
Brande said he got a hard neck guard connected to a lightweight Bauer shirt.
“It’s very comfortable,” he said, “and the sides around the throat area are quite protected. I’m quite happy with the way mine turned out. I know other people have found them uncomfortable in the past, but I really like mine.”
On the tape of his stick, Sam Brande has printed “TB4L” and “TB5.” Teddy Balkind for life. Teddy Balkind No. 5.
The last four days haven’t been easy since his cabin counselor at Camp Awosting called with the horrible news. The guys from the cabin talked through the night, reliving memories. A couple of his camp friends went to visit Teddy’s parents over the weekend. Sam has found strength in his friends and the support in his petition.
“Everyone has been unbelievably supportive,” Brande said. “One friend brought me cookies. Everyone is sharing my petition. Everyone has been sharing my Instagram post. Every time I see someone at school, they’re saying, ‘I’m sorry about your friend. We’re here for you.’
“It’s kind of amazing. The whole country saw Teddy dying as a hockey player. My own community saw a friend of theirs losing a loved one. With that petition, I want to believe everything happens for a reason and Teddy didn’t pass away for no reason.”