Here's to Brittanie Cecil

March 16, 2002:

Brittanie Cecil from West Alexandria, Ohio went to a Blue Jackets game as part of an early 14th birthday celebration. Unfortunately, it was a birthday that she never got to experience.

During the 2nd period of that game, Espen Knutsen of the Blue Jackets shot the puck, which was deflected by Calgary defenseman Derek Morris into the stands. The puck hit Brittanie in the left-temple, and blood was spilling out of her head. After two days at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Brittanie died only two days before her 14th birthday.

As a result of Brittanie's death, all NHL teams were required to set up protective nettings around each end of the rink to prevent such occurrences.

R.I.P. Brittanie. You will always be remembered.

Here is Brittanie's mission statement in Oct. 2001 that her friend aratay10 posted in a comment:

To begin everyday with a smile!
To be responsible and respectful in any way I can.
To achieve my goals and become the best person I can be.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Brittanie
• Cecil
• Columbus
• Blue
• Jackets
• Calgary
• Flames
• Espen
• Knutsen
• Derek
• Morris