Hockey dad's death sparks questions

[NorthcoteCupGuy]

What are peoples thoughts on this one <br> Hockey dad's death sparks questions<br>WebPosted Tue, 08 Mar 2005 16:34:51 EST <br>CBC Sports <br>The circumstances surrounding the death of a hockey father, who suffered a heart attack after rushing to defend his son from angry spectators, have ignited controversy in Montreal. <br><br>Guy Letourneau, 46, died of a heart attack while attending his stepson's game Sunday. To the amazement of many, the game resumed less than an hour later. <br><br>Mathieu Perron, 15, had just been handed a penalty and was being taunted by parents supporting the opposing team. Perron said his stepfather ran halfway around a Montreal arena to warn him not to get involved in any verbal sparring. He collapsed shortly after that. <br><br>"He knows I'm a bit mouthy and he wanted me to concentrate on the game," Perron told Le Journal de Montreal. <br><br>"He told me, 'Don't worry about them, I'll take care of them.' Then he started coughing and clutching his heart before he collapsed." <br><br>"He was talking to his son to give him some encouragement," said Michel Gaudreau, another parent watching the game. "He was holding his hands, he sat down and then he collapsed." <br><br>The game was stopped temporarily and players were sent to their dressing rooms. It resumed after ambulance technicians spent 40 minutes trying to revive Letourneau. He was declared dead in hospital. <br><br>The decision to keep playing raised the ire of some parents and officials, who say the game should have been rescheduled. <br><br>Alain Peloquin, the president of the Montreal North Minor Hockey League, said the two coaches agreed to keep playing. <br><br>When Perron returned to the ice he said he was under the impression that his stepfather's condition was improving. <br><br>"I'm the captain, so I got up and told the lads we should go out there and win one for my dad. Then we said a prayer together and went back out on the ice." <br><br>On Tuesday, Perron said it was a mistake to keep playing. <br><br>"That was just plain stupid," said Perron. "The game should have been stopped." <br><br>The coaches, according to various reports, beleived they could be fined fined and teams barred from the playoffs if the game did not continue. <br><br>Stephane Bouchard, the association's chief referee, was at a loss to explain why the coaches believed they had to play the hockey game. <br><br>"This is minor-league hockey," said Bouchard, who was not at the arena for the game. <br><br>"The game could have been postponed. I don't see how there could have been any talk about suspensions." <br><br>with files form Canadian Press<br><br><br> <br> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[gunslinger]

Two thoughts here:<br><br>1.This gives a good lesson in just staying put. I dont think dad needed to run over and save his 15 year old son... I think things would have been fine.... Though I think it was just a matter of time before he collapsed... heart disease will find ya if you got it!<br><br>2.As far as the game goes... playing on is absolutely insane... What a tramatic event, and then just have to go on like no big deal! I dont know maybe Im wrong here... just seems a bit over the top for me!<br><br>-The SLinger <p></p><i></i>

[umd bulldogs goalie]

Thats just awful. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :o --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... rassed.gif ALT=":o"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>__________________<br>Josh Johnson former CEC goalie current UMD goalie</p><i></i>

[wcha fan]

Should have been a no-brainer from the start. Game cancelled.<br> You wonder where we are going when you hear of something like this happening. <p></p><i></i>

[KodiakChew]

the whole situation is just sad, enough said! <p>AHA 2002 & 2005 State Champions!<br></p><i></i>

[cech0ckey]

thats horrible all around.. the game should have definately been cancelled and not just kept goin' <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> i feel for that kid <p></p><i></i>

[hockeydad]

The name of this topic scared the hell out of me<br><br><br>Seriously, what were they thinking when they restarted the game? <p></p><i></i>

[4checker]

Hate to be morbid, too.<br>But I had to check in on this one for the same reason - thought we had lost another poster! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :\ --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... ohwell.gif ALT=":\"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[marvinboy]

Just curious...what happened to that one player (forget name and team) that was paralyzed in a game...I believe it was a college game out East??? about 10 years ago. I saw an interview with him a year ago or so. <br>Did the game go on after that accident? <p></p><i></i>

[EREmpireStrikesBack]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The name of this topic scared the hell out of me<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>You are exactly what I thought of when I read the title. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls</p><i></i>

[Salol Hockey]

marvinboy, I believe it was a Schafhauser [sp] not sure about the spelling. He was from Roseville and lived on Dale Street. I think he played for Boston. Don't know if the game went on or not. <p></p><i></i>

[Eddie Shore]

My guess is that marvinboy is thinking of Travis Roy from Boston University. If memory serves me right, they did continue the game. However, my guess is that they didn't know that he had suffered permanent paralysis when they took him off the ice. <p></p><i></i>

[Salol Hockey]

Eddie, I am sure that this young grew up next door to someone I know, unless there are two that got hurt. I am sure he played at Boston and went head first into the boards in his very first game. I might be wrong. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p074.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUserP ... ckey>Salol Hockey</A> at: 3/10/05 6:09 pm<br></i>

[Eddie Shore]

Salol,<br><br>Youre thinking of Pat Schafhauser, who played at BC and then overseas for a while. He's now an assistant at Hill-Murray. I don't know the details behind his injury - whether or not it happened in a game.<br><br>Travis Roy was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first shift at BU. He later came out with a book etitled "Eleven Seconds" - an inspirational read. <p></p><i></i>

[Salol Hockey]

Thanks Eddie. I don't know what Pat Schafhauer is doing now, but he was hurt playing hockey at BC and I think it was serious. I don't think he recovered fully. I don't know what he is doing now, but I will find out. <p></p><i></i>