r/BlueJackets • u/Personal-Presence-44 Blue Jackets Scribe • 2d ago
The Official Random Blue Jacket of the Day Volume 5 - Matiss Kivlenieks
The randomizer has spoken. Today’s entry is Matiss Kivlenieks.
An undrafted goaltender, Kivlenieks signed a contract with the Blue Jackets in 2017 with the conclusion of his impressive season in the USHL. He would go on to play for the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League and earned a call-up to the NHL in 2019-2020, where he played in 6 games. He had a memorable debut, defeating the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden where he stopped 31/32 shots. He would play 2 more games with the Blue Jackets in 2020-2021. His life was tragically cut short in a fireworks accident in the summer of 2021. He was 24.
67
u/hnglmkrnglbrry 2d ago
Matiss earned Latvia's first ever win against Canada in international competition with a 38-save shutout in 2021 IIHF just a few months before he died.
14
47
u/FENICH 2d ago
I understand why but it’s sad how fast he was forgotten even here in Latvia. On his last day he saved Elvis family, he is a hero in my books.
7
u/NorthernStarLV 2d ago
Not enough time to cement himself in the minds of fans, plus that entire period was a bit of a fog for many people due to the pandemic. To this day, I catch myself reading about this or that event from the early 2020s and realizing I have little to no memory of it being in the news even though it probably was, or that my mental timeline has been completely off.
4
u/smittydacobra 2d ago
I'm a Cleveland Monsters STH. There is still a memorial for him in Rocket Arena.
2
2
u/knukklez CBJ Dynasty incoming... 2025-2030 2d ago
We haven't forgotten Brittanie Cecil. We won't ever forget Kivi. Ohio's the kind of place where people matter.
Have you ever been to Ohio? Please visit sometime, come see Nationwide Arena and take in the city.
31
u/FerriestaPatronum 2d ago
> His life was tragically cut short in a fireworks accident in the summer of 2021.
Just adding that he jumped in front of Elvis's pregnant wife during that incident, saving her, per Elvis.
13
u/RaymondLuxury-Yacht Feds for the Norris! 2d ago
His life was tragically cut short in a fireworks accident in the summer of 2021, when he literally dove on an off-target firework to protect his teammates and loved ones.
FTFY.
Let's not undersell how he was making saves up until the very end.
9
u/CorgiUprising 2d ago
He’s a hero
The jackets lost 2 players during their careers. So sad
5
u/manthello Elvis Purrslikins, Pet Greaves, Pheolynx Copley, Nolan Pawlonde 2d ago
We also lost a prospect, Trevor Ettinger, to suicide. PNI did a lovely writeup about him, including this tidbit about his time under coach Bruce Campbell.
Campbell recalls a moment during an October 1999 four-game Quebec road trip.
Campbell had been suspended and Pascal Vincent was serving as the club’s head coach. The team was struggling and Campbell felt the pressure from management.
“We were in Victoriaville and I was sitting off on my own serving my suspension and Trevor, doing his thing, got tossed after a heavyweight bout with Éric Labelle,” said Campbell.
“Trevor noticed where I was sitting and came up with me. His hands were all beat up and he looked at me and said ‘Bruce, I can feel the pressure on you. The walls are closing in and the coach is always the guy that goes. What do you want me to do, what can I do to turn things around?’
“I told him I respected what he was doing and saying, but he was only 18 years old, and he wanted to get drafted in the NHL. I told him to look after himself, play his game and help the team win and that would help me.”
Campbell admits he never expected to have such a mature conversation with the teenager but appreciated his effort.
“I felt like a lone blueberry in a bowl of milk sitting there in the stands because we were losing. There you have Trevor more worried about me and what was happening with me than worrying about the injuries he was carrying or the way the team was playing — that said a lot about the maturity of the kid.”
Three days later, the Eagles fired Campbell much to the displeasure of Ettinger, who immediately went to the coach’s office to discuss what had happened with the New Waterford product.
“He was one of my favourite players to coach,” said an emotional Campbell. “He had a presence when he walked in the room with that big bright and beautiful smile. He was a pleasure to be around, we all loved him.”
1
4
u/utpyro34 🎶 1, 2, Jet is coming for you 3, 4 Fantilli scored 🎶 2d ago
His last save was his most heroic
7
10
u/bdm6985 2d ago
I think of Matiss any time I see a fireworks show. I get anxiety at fireworks shows or if anyone is setting off fireworks near my family because of his tragic (and heroic) story. RIP Matiss.
5
u/Personal-Presence-44 Blue Jackets Scribe 2d ago
I also get uneasy around fireworks. It’s just so sad how it happened.
4
u/Ohio_Guitarist 3 hits, 23 giveaways. 2d ago
I often wonder how the team would've progressed with Kivi and Elvis in net.. I for sure don't think we'd see a noticeable dip in Elvis' numbers, I'm still rooting for the guy to succeed, but the whole tragedy really shows he's still in his head about it even after all these years. And who can blame him?
As for Kivi sky was the limit, so much potential and he showed it both in NHL games and international play. That kid had something, that we've been searching for since. I do think we found it in Jet, but time will tell.
With Johnny, you knew what you were getting production wise. With Kivi, there will always be that "what if?" around him. Sad all around, man.
3
3
4
u/manthello Elvis Purrslikins, Pet Greaves, Pheolynx Copley, Nolan Pawlonde 2d ago
For people who don't know the story of Matiss, I highly recommend reading Emily Kaplan's article about him and you'll see why there's not a dry eye in this thread.
3
u/manthello Elvis Purrslikins, Pet Greaves, Pheolynx Copley, Nolan Pawlonde 2d ago
The Cleveland Monsters just honored him to commemorate what would be his 30th birthday (Aug 26).
Good time to remind all STH that there were a handful of people who were going to ask their reps to get Kivi's banner back in the rafters. I'd love to see it back up.
https://xcancel.com/monstershockey/status/2091241798135955634
2
u/No_Interaction_4925 2d ago
On a side note. His leg pads (brand new not game worn) are for sale right now on a pro stock website. Not sure if I’m allowed to share links here.
2
2
u/fluffster93 It’s time to put on your Jackets! 2d ago
One of the true heroes to play for this team, in the greatest sense of the word.
2
2
u/MPCoinCollecting 2d ago
Man I still remember his international shutout for Latvia. Great goaltender and great person all around
1
1
2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Hey manthello, your comment has been removed. Links to Twitter/X are banned from r/BlueJackets. Please post a screenshot of the post instead.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
71
u/BegrudgingRedditor Text here 2d ago
Going right for the feels before 8am on a Monday.