Posted on 01/02/2006 6:53:37 AM PST by Former Military Chick
DULUTH, Minn. -- A retired police officer and youth hockey coach was critically injured by a hockey puck Saturday during a father-son game.
Dennin Bauers, 52, was struck behind the left ear by a puck at around 9:30 a.m., when about 20 high school players - mostly from Duluth Central High School -- took on their fathers at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. He was wearing a helmet, but collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
He remained in critical condition Sunday afternoon at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth, according to the hospital's intensive care unit.
"He's in bad, bad shape," said Duluth police Chief Roger Waller, Bauers' friend.
Bauers has been involved in local youth and adult hockey leagues. He served as an assistant at Duluth Central, where his son plays hockey.
The Duluth native was the commander of the Lake Superior Drug Task Force when he retired in 2004. He also worked as a police officer in St. Paul.
Scott Lyons, former Duluth police chief, told the Star Tribune in Minneapolis that more than 75 of Bauers' friends and relatives had been at the hospital Saturday night.
He said his high school friend and former colleague suffered life-threatening injuries.
"It was pretty somber," Lyons said. "He was a great guy."
Bob Hom, director of operations at the convention center, said he had never seen a serious hockey injury at the center in his 28 years on the job.
Duluth police Lt. Peg Johnson said the mood at the police department was solemn Saturday after officers heard the news. Chief Roger Waller said many of Bauers' colleagues didn't want to see him retire.
"He was a good cop, a very good cop," he said.
There have been puck accidents elsewhere that have caused serious or even fatal injuries.
Brittanie Cecil, 13, was killed during a Columbus Blue Jackets game in 2002 when a puck left the ice and struck her in the forehead.
Chad Hildebrand fell into a coma and died after he was struck by a puck at a senior men's hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2000.
Time to ban pucks from hockey games.
Leni
"Time to ban pucks from hockey games."
Not yet, it was only a white male.
...SUV's with pitbulls in the back...
Humor aside, condolences to the family and hopefully they will take some comfort that dad was out there on the ice with his son and fellow hockey enthusiasts, doing what he loved when his time came.
It can't be said too often: Keep the bleepin' puck on the ice.
Agreed. I think they should use something less threatening - like a pancake.
I very much enjoyed your thoughtful reply.
LOL! That's the pic I was thinking of when I wrote that.
Some kid thought he was being smart lifting the puck. Didn't mean to hurt anyone, but it should be a rule to keep the puck on the ice if you aren't wearing helmets.
At the New Year's party we went to a couple of nights ago, with a lot of children playing around the house, some problem kid threw a block and hit a young girl on the head. She had blood all over her face and her mother had to take her to the ER for stitches. Don't throw blocks, don't lift pucks. But it's bound to happen once in a while. Kids don't realize the consequences.
What a tragic ending to what was to have been a wonderful father son event.
Pucks are evil!
The rabbit doubles as a tee, as in golf.
Oberon, Titania and Puck, by William Blake, c.1785
PUCK Through The Ages
The History of a Hobgoblin
One of the most popular characters in English folklore of the last thousand years has been the faerie, goblin, devil or imp known by the name of Puck or Robin Goodfellow.
The Welsh called him Pwca, which is pronounced the same as his Irish incarnation Phouka, Pooka or Puca. These are far from his only names.
Parallel words exist in many ancient languages - puca in Old English, puki in Old Norse, puke in Swedish, puge in Danish, puks in Low German, pukis in Latvia and Lithuania -- mostly with the original meaning of a demon, devil or evil and malignant spirit ... Because of this similarity it is uncertain whether the original puca sprang from the imaginative minds of the Scandinavians, the Germans or the Irish. -Gillian Edwards, Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck p.143
18
I hope Tiger keeps his club head high through his swing.
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