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Don Sanderson dies after 3 week coma from hitting head on ice
An Ontario hockey player who struck his head on the ice and slipped into a coma three weeks ago, died early Friday morning, his team's website has reported.
Don Sanderson, a 21-year-old defenceman with the Whitby Dunlops, had been in a coma since Dec. 12, following a fight in the third period of a Major League Hockey game against the Brampton Blast. He died around 1 a.m. on Friday.
Sanderson, a York University student, lost his helmet in the scuffle with Brantford's Corey Fulton and struck his head when the two landed on the ice. Sanderson had been on life-support at Hamilton General Hospital.
Ontario Hockey Association president Brent Ladds, who visited Sanderson's parents in the hospital, said: "I was there (Thursday) and seeing his mother sit by the bed … they're incredible people. They're a hockey family."
Ladds said Sanderson was just like everybody else in the league: "He wanted to play hockey at the highest level he could for as long as he could play."
While he said Sanderson's death warrants discussion on how to prevent such tragic occurrences, the OHA has some of the strictest policies on fighting in the country.
Ladds added, "Hockey and sports in general develop in response to what happens."
Peter Ham, general manager for the Brantford Blast, echoed Ladds' comments, saying: "There's policies in place and we try to execute them as best we can."
Date: Jan 3 2009
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