Parents of NHL prospect hospitalized after collapse at team workout say he's a 'fighter'
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he → hospitalize → workout
Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during a team workout in Arizona
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Mayich → collapse → Arizona
The parents of an Ontario NHL prospect who is in critical condition after collapsing during a team workout say their son is "a fighter" and that they are not giving up on him.
Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Mayich, of Hamilton, was at an early-morning outdoor workout with the Arizona State University (ASU) hockey team on Aug. 20 when he collapsed.
"We know Matthew's a fighter and we're hoping he pulls through this," said Matthew's father, John.
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father → collapse → this
He and Matthew's mother, Christina, spoke to CBC News from Phoenix, Ariz.
Before the workout, Matthew was "perfectly healthy," according to Christina.
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Matthew → speak → Christina
Now, their lawyer says, he’s "clinging to his life in a hospital bed."
The incident has made waves in the sports world, prompting the Professional Hockey Players’ Association to speak up about the lack of protections for young athletes.
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incident → say → athletes
"When athletes feel pressure to remain silent about an injury, illness, exhaustion or concern because they fear the consequences of speaking up, the system has failed them," said PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay in a statement on Sept. 10, which does not directly name Mayich.
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which → feel → Mayich
"Athletes should never have to choose between their health and their careers.
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Athletes → have → health
"
He loved hockey but ‘he was a lot more than hockey’
Mayich started playing hockey around age five, according to John, and excelled.
He played minor hockey with the Hamilton Huskies between 2016 and 2020, and then with the Ottawa 67's.
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He → love → 67
In 2023, he was drafted by the NHL's St. Louis Blues.
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he → draft → Blues
His parents say they were his biggest fans, along with his younger brother and older sister, travelling everywhere to support him.
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they → say → him
"He didn't care if he was at a small rink in Hamilton or a big rink in St. Louis with a lot of people — he just loves the game," John said.
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John → care → game
Mayich’s parents describe him as "a little fireball," someone who people gravitate toward.
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people → describe → who
"Ever since he was young … he just lights up the room," said John.
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John → light → room
Hockey player got heatstroke, lawyer says
When Mayich joined the ASU hockey team, it was the next rung on the ladder while chasing his NHL team.
The recent transfer to ASU was just getting settled into a new apartment, with his family looking forward to watching him play at the university.
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him → get → university
His parents say they spoke with him briefly before the last workout, adding that he was excited and "ready to work."
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he → say → workout
Christina said one of Mayich’s teammates called her to tell her what happened, and that the family rushed to Phoenix to be by his side.
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family → say → side
They haven’t left.
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They → leave → ?
"We were devastated," she said.
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she → devastate → ?
[It’s] just so hard to believe."
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Mayich suffered heatstroke during the workout, according to the family’s Phoenix-based lawyer, Leonard Aragon, who is less optimistic than the parents that the young athlete will survive.
"
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athlete → suffer → parents
I'm a lawyer, not a doctor, but I don't believe so," he told CBC News.
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he → believe → News
Workout designed to 'break the kids,' lawyer alleges
There were roughly 25 other players at the workout, according to John Mayich.
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lawyer → design → Mayich
The morning session, which took place in advance of October's season opener, involved push-ups, running and drills where medicine balls were carried from one side of the field to the other, said Aragon.
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Aragon → take → other
The lawyer describes the session as "military-style," taking place in "overwhelming" heat and that water was withheld from players.
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water → describe → players
"[It] was designed to basically break the kids and try to put some sort of toughness or something like that into the kids at the beginning of the year," Aragon said.
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Aragon → design → year
He also says safety guidelines at the university were not followed.
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guidelines → say → university
"Protocols that ASU itself says should have been followed, such as monitoring people to see if they have heat problems or having a cool-down tub if someone has heatstroke or heat exhaustion — things like that didn't take place," he said.
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he → say → place
"And it led to this tragedy."
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it → lead → tragedy
The university declined an interview request, citing an ongoing review.
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university → decline → review
It did not respond to questions about whether the individual who ran the workout was vetted and contracted by the university and whether there have been any consequences for the leadership team since the incident.
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who → respond → incident
Instead, an ASU spokesperson referred CBC News to a statement issued on Sept. 3, stating the athletics program has "heat-illness guidelines in place" and that the morning workout included a "third party who had previously worked" with the team.
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who → refer → team
The statement said university police are investigating, "as they would anytime they are called to a serious incident."
Aragon calls the university’s failure to immediately call for an independent third-party investigation "a slap in the face to the family."
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Aragon → say → family
John Mayich's thoughts are also with the young athletes who witnessed what happened to his son.
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what → witness → son
"It was tragic what happened," he said.
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he → happen → ?
"I feel for them also.
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I → feel → them
It's not easy to see that.
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Is enough being done to protect athletes?
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enough → do → athletes
Athletes are highly competitive, seeking limited spots on sports teams, which is why protections for athletes are critical, says Adam Huxley, a hockey development coach based in Wainwright, Alta.
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Huxley → seek → Wainwright
"When there's 30 players and 20 spots, I can see where the mindset of, 'Well, if I'm not feeling great or something's not going right, I don't want to be the one that says something, because then I seem like I'm the weak link,'" Huxley told CBC News.
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He says there should be better education for players so they know when they are being pushed beyond their limits.
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they → say → limits
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
