My condolences and deepest sympathy go to the family and friends of Teddy Balkind, a St. Luke’s School sophomore, who died after sustaining injuries on the ice while playing in a junior varsity hockey game at Brunswick School. Prayers and thoughts also go to the St. Luke’s and Brunswick communities and everyone involved in this unthinkable tragedy.

Greenwich Time/Hearst Connecticut Media reported on Thursday night, that Teddy Balkind, a 10th-grader at St. Luke’s in New Canaan, died after suffering injuries while competing in a junior varsity ice hockey game against Brunswick.

Brunswick Head of School Thomas Philip told Hearst Connecticut Media that the school community was devastated and called the accident “an unimaginable tragedy.”

On Friday, Philip also released a statement to Brunswick’s alumni regarding the tragedy.

“During a JV ice hockey game last night against St. Luke’s, a member of the opposing team’s neck was accidentally cut by a skate. All who witnessed the play (from both schools) apparently described the play as entirely normal and unremarkable in the game of hockey.

The boy was immediately treated by our medical staff (the boy’s father was present throughout) and was eventually transported to Greenwich Hospital, where he was treated in the ER and then operated on.

“Tragically, he did not survive the operation,” Philip said.

St. Luke’s Head of School Mark Davis told Hearst Connecticut Media on Friday that the school was in mourning.

“Yesterday, we lost a precious young man in a tragic accident,” he said. “Both St. Luke’s School and Brunswick School are in shock as we work to support our students and families. St. Luke’s singular focus at this moment is to care for our devastated community.”

In the days following the tragedy, an outpouring of support and condolences have poured in on social media/online, with high school sports programs, collegiate teams and professional athletes and organizations expressing their sympathies.

The Brunswick hockey team posted on Twitter: “One shift. One period. One game at a time. It’s the hockey way. The way our team can honor the life of Teddy Balkind. We hold the Balkind family and St. Luke’s in our thoughts. As we remember Teddy, we’ll always strive to do our best. One shift. One period. One game at a time.”

The NHL released a statement through Twitter on Friday. “The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Teddy Balkind, a member of the hockey family lost too soon.”

Former NHL star Martin St. Louis, who was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, expressed his condolences on Twitter: “We have heavy hearts in our local hockey community. My thoughts and prayers are with Teddy’s family, teammates, friends and everyone impacted by this tragedy.”

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and NEPSAC shared their sympathies on social media as well.

Among the many tributes on social media were posts from the Greenwich and New Canaan hockey teams.

As shown above, the UConn men’s hockey team was one of numerous collegiate programs to reach out and express their sadness through social media.

To the Balkind family, the St. Luke’s community and the Brunswick community, God Bless you during this tragic time.