‘HE RADIATED JOY’
Teddy Balkind’s godparents remember teen who died after hockey injury
NEW CANAAN — Hockey players across the U.S. have paid tribute to Teddy Balkind by leaving hockey sticks outside their front doors, but those close to him say the sport was just one part of his joyous personality.
The 16-year-old sophomore at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan died Thursday after being injured when he was clipped in the neck by the skate of another player during a game in Greenwich.
He was remembered on Monday by his godparents, Lynne and Rand Eyberg, as a respectful boy who did not see obstacles in the many activities he pursued.
“He radiated joy,” Lynne said. “... Everyone loved to be with him.”
His interests spanned from hockey and lacrosse to mountain biking, fishing, cooking, swimming and more, according to the couple. Since his birthday in November, Balkind was also working on getting his driver’s license.
“He was like a son to us,” Lynne said, adding she attended Denison College with Teddy’s mother, Leslie Balkind.
When Balkind pursued his many activities, “he jumped in with both feet,” Rand added.
Rand said he and Balkind spent time biking through local trails and mountains in Stowe, Vt., where the youth
quickly became proficient in the sport.
“He always rose to the occasion,” Rand said, recalling a time when Balkind had to swim the length of the pool at the New Canaan Field Club to earn privilege in the adult pool. Balkind swam and half-way across the pool length, his form fell apart, but then he doggy paddled his way to the deep end in spite of the challenge.
He had “no fear of failure,” Rand said.
“He wanted to be the best he could be,” Lynne shared, but “he was not competitive. Instead he loved to share his interest with others. ... He didn’t see obstacles.”
Since the death, various communities Balkind was a member of have reacted strongly to the loss — fellow campers at Camp Awosting in Litchfield County created a hashtag #moreteddy and a video remembering him; parishioners at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church
prayed the rosary for Balkind, who is Jewish; and he was honored at a New Canaan hockey game, according to the Eybergs.
Norwalk artist 5ivefingaz chose to pay tribute to Balkind in an Instagram video on Monday, with a painted portrait of the young athlete using a hockey stick as his brush.
“Being a big time sports fan including hockey, I felt like it was the only way to truly commemorate this young man by using a hockey stick,” the artist said.
He said he plans to donate the portrait “to whoever would do right by the painting and his family.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine what the family is going through. My heart goes out to his family, friends and the whole CT hockey community,” he added.
At New Canaan Bicycles, owner Lou Kozar remembered the teen as “polite, respectful, engaging and just a joy be around.” Kozar had been hoping to soon hire Balkind, who had been successfully apprenticing with him.
It was Balkind’s deep interest in mountain biking that led him volunteer at the Park Street bike shop.
“He had such an eagerness to learn,” Kozar recalled. “I yearn for a kid like Teddy to come through those doors and say I want to work for you.”
Balkind “was like a part of our family,” Kozar said, adding he was personally hurt by the loss.
One of his closest companions was his sister Karey, who is two years older than him.
“Though he sometimes didn’t spend an adequate amount of time doing homework, he was a master of Xbox, eating hamburgers and making desserts after every meal,” she wrote in his obituary.
He was not like so many children distracted by their phones or internet, the Eybergs said. Instead he was “very present” and interacted well with people of all ages.
“We had been so blessed,” Lynne said. There will be a private service held for Balkind at Temple Shalom in Norwalk, and a celebration of his life will be held at a date to be determined, according to the obituary.