NHL fan death story, eight years later

Colleges should, too. I was at a college game about 20 years ago when a guy hit a foul ball into the stands and it nailed this girl right in the mouth. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and the rest of the stadium got really quiet, really fast. A dentist, who was a friend of the visiting coach, was in the stands and sprinted to her.

Turns out the girl was mentally retarded and wasn't able to react quickly. Her father, who was sitting next to her did - and he ducked out of the way.

I talked to the hitter after the game, and it still haunted him. He was really down. I told him there was nothing he could have done about it. There were seats protected by screens, and the girl and her father should have been sitting there. Instead, they were sitting in the "sun" seats.

Still, it was a sickening scream that I still can hear.

 

I know I'm in the minority and I'm not saying they should take them down but I really hate sitting behind those nets.

 

Quite a story. Thanks for posting. Hope the family and Knutsen get together someday and help each other with the healing process.

 

Great story. I did freelance stuff for the Jackets' website at that time and knew some people in the front office and this was a terrible time for that organization. As a guy who works for a junior team I followed this story and it's aftermath very closely.

Netting went up in all CHL rinks and we got the same complaints from fans, but I don't recall too many ticket cancellations. Spend a few minutes behind it - just like being behind home plate - and you don't even notice it. But you're glad it's there if a puck comes screaming into the stands.

 

Our regular seats for Huggy's team are up in the corner, behind the net. Doesn't bother me a bit but, the first time I sat in the middle section behind the benches, I felt very vulnerable and it took a while to relax.

 

That amazing thing about a baseball game is how many people sit right behind the on-deck circles next to the dugout and hardly ever watch the game. They have no clue when a foul ball is coming their way.

 

And..in my city, I take my kids to about 15-20 minor-league games a season, usually behind 3rd base/1st base dugouts. Prime foul ball acreage.

Also why I always sit closest to home plate, to take the "bullet" if need be.

 

I remember some college wrestling fans were critical of SI for putting Cecil on the cover instead of Cael Sanderson, who won his fourth NCAA title without a loss that week.
Anyone think SI should have put Sanderson on the cover that week?

 

There was one mouth-breathing slob of a columnist at a relatively-major paper who wrote a monumentally asinine and idiotic column on the topic a couple days later, claiming installing netting was yet another victory for the wussification of America and pretty much saying straight out that Brittanie Cecil got what was coming to her because she was a ditzy chickie who should have been home playing with Barbies. Happily he's been whacked for other reasons since then, but undoubtedly it had to help.

 

That's the kind of person who needs to be cross-checked in the fucking teeth.