"The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation announced today that it is donating $80,000 to the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation for its "Kivi's Kids" initiative, which has been established in honor of Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who passed away last July. The money will be used to fund clinics and provide equipment for young goaltenders in his native Latvia," said the Blue Jackets on their official website.
"The CBJ Foundation established the Matiss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund to support youth hockey initiatives in central Ohio and Latvia. The organization and McConnell family pledged $80,000 to match every donation made to the fund in Matiss' memory. To date, over $100,000 has been raised," a statement said.
As previously reported, rising star Kivlenieks was killed in tragic circumstances at the age of 24, cutting short a hockey career in which he was widely tipped as one of the best young players in the world.
.@BlueJacketsNHL donated $80,000 to the @lhf_lv for its "Kivi's Kids" initiative, established in honor of goaltender Matīss Kivlenieks, who died tragically last July. The money will fund clinics and provide equipment for young goaltenders in #Latvia:https://t.co/KP0NqTbwKC
— US Embassy Riga (@USEmbassyRiga) October 25, 2021
📷NHL pic.twitter.com/kPEWuXxIKX
