National Hockey League's Matiss Kivlenieks, a goaltender for the team Columbus Blue Jackets, has tragically died on the 4th of July after a tragic accident in Michigan.

Per TMZ Sports, Kivleniek attended a party to celebrate Independence Day in Novi, Michigan. Later that evening, the hockey player was with a group of people hanging out in a hot tub.

The unfortunate event happened as a mortar-style firework struck the athlete in the chest. Medical rescuers arrived at the venue at around 10 PM.

Kivleniek was later taken to Ascension Providence Hospital, but medical personnel failed to revive him. The athlete was 24 years old.

According to Michigan authorities (via the outlet), Kivlenieks was believed to have died from slipping and falling after the mishap. Still, an examiner later clarified that the firework is to blame for his death as it caused a significant injury.

Matiss Kivlenieks' Autopsy

Per Inspector Mitch Brown of the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, the official cause of death was "death from a fireworks mortar blast and chest trauma." (via CNN)

The autopsy was done by the county's medical examiner Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic. There were also internal injuries following the firework blast, per Lt. Jason Meier.

The incident is still under investigation by police officials, but they don't believe it was foul play. "At the moment, we're pretty certain this was a tragic accident," a spokesperson noted. (via the outlet)

Fans paid tribute

Following his death, thousands of fans and co-athletes took to Twitter to pay their tribute, making him the number one trending topic at the time of this writing.

"Matiss was a great person and a great goalie.watching him play inspired my daughter to play hockey & become a goalie. We are broken hearted today for everyone whose life Matiss touched." one fan wrote, who posted a picture of the athlete with her daughter.

"I got to share quite a bit of time with Kivs when he was in Sioux City. He was a great kid. A phenomenal goaltender and an even better person. This news hits with the same weight as the loss of a family member. He'll be missed by everyone that ever had the pleasure to meet him." one tweeted.

Matiss Kivlenieks' life

The athlete was born in Riga, Latvia, on August 26, 1996. Kivlenieks first played in the 2011 to 2012 season for the team Prizma Riga in his home country. Hockey fans loved the goalie because of his professionalism, as he had a goal against average (GAA) of 9.52 after playing just one game.

Kivlenieks later left Latvia to pursue other sports opportunities abroad; he landed in North America, where he initially joined the Forest Lake Lakers in Minnesota.

The athlete's last team was Columbus Blue Jackets, where he was reportedly paid $2,497,500 for his entry-level contract.

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