Mattis Kivlenieks was a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender prior to his sudden and untimely death which happened on the 4th of July 2021.
Mattis has been described by colleagues and friends as a good and friendly man and his death was sad and unexpected, however, he won’t be forgotten in a hurry by all those he had contact with.
Indeed the Hockey federation has lost a promising player and outstanding goaltender and he will be dearly missed.
Who Was Mattis Kivlenieks Before His Death?
Born in Riga, Latvia, on the 26th of August 1996 he was raised by his mother and stepfather. He lost his father at a very early age and his mother married another man and they are both restaurateurs. Mattis had a younger sister and his full name is Mattis Edmunds Kivlenieks.
He began playing ice hockey between the ages of 3 /4 as this was the time he got fascinated by the game when he used to watch his cousins play and at 5 years, he began playing the position of a goaltender. Until he learned the English language while playing for the United States, he could only speak Latvian and Russian languages.
Mattis Kivleniek’s Life And Death
Prior to his death, from 2012 to 2021, Mattis played professional ice hockey for clubs such as the Pirzma Riga of his home country’s Hockey league, Cleaveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.
He started off trying to pursue a career with the North American junior league in order to be good enough to join the National Hockey League. However, he got encouragement to join the National Hockey League by Coach Karlis Zirnis who was the coach for the Latvian national team and also doubled as a scout for the North American Hockey League.
After a few trials to join certain teams and the subsequent failures with some teams while succeeding to play a couple of games with other teams, Mattis ended a season with Sioux City Musketeers and even though he was undrafted, he signed a 3-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jacket. This contract was worth $2, 497,500 and after signing, he joined them in their next season’s play.
He had an amazing career in the 2019-2020 Season playing with the National Hockey League and this was a memorable feat to mark the beginning of a successful career for Mattis hence the heartbreak to know that this beautiful career he had worked so hard for about two decades has come to a sudden end as a result of his unfortunate demise.
Mattis Kivlenieks died on the 4th of July 2021 at the age of 29 years. His death was caused by an accident while hanging out with colleagues and friends during the 4th of July celebration.
Mattis was at the house of goaltending coach, Manny Legace in Novi, Michigan when death struck him. He had gone there with fellow Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins for a double celebration with Legace; the Independence Day celebration as it was his first time being in the United States long enough to witness the celebration and there was also the wedding of Legace’s daughter which took place over the holiday’s weekend.
The unfortunate incident which took Matiss’ life while at Coach Legace’s house was caused by an accident when a fireworks mortar tube exploded and landed on his chest in the hot tub they were all in.
It was reported that the mortar tube accidentally tilted towards the tub and fired and while they all took for cover, Mattis was unfortunately hit by it and it caused several internal damages to him.
He was taken to Ascension Province Hospital where he was later pronounced dead the same night and the autopsy done proved that he suffered a major chest trauma due to the hit by the fireworks mortar tube although there were no external injuries to his chest.
Prior to this revelation, it was reported by the Novi Police that Mattis had slipped and hit his head in his bathroom concrete while leaving the bathtub, however, another report states that he and his friends were fleeing from the exploded oncoming fireworks when he slipped and fell by the Jacuzzi and hit his head.
Now, with the autopsy conducted on the 5th of July, it was revealed that there was no hit to his head and the trauma suffered was done to his chest resulting in several internal injuries.
Mattis Kivleniek’s Net Worth
As of the young lad’s net worth prior to his death, he is believed to have gathered a wealth estimated to be about $3 million. This is owing to his career which started in 2017, his contract with the Columbus Blue Jacket, and his stellar performance during the 2019-2020 Season.
SEE ALSO: 5 Richest Hockey Players and Their Shocking Net Worth
The Family Mattis Kivlenieks Left Behind
Mattis is survived by his mother and a younger sister. These are the only family the media has revealed about the former hockey goaltender as he did not give out much information about himself and his family. Mattis did not reveal nor even give a chance for suspicion of any form of romance or relationship neither was he married. His mother’s name is Astrida but his younger sister’s name is unknown.
His friends, colleagues, and fans join his family to mourn his demise and it was indeed a shocker to the world. Fans took to creating a makeshift memorial for him on the night of the 4th of July as they placed signs, flowers, sticks, and balloons at the entrance to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
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