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National Hockey League mourns death of 3 student-athletes killed in car crash

Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson were all between 16 and 17 years old and their death has shaken the broader hockey community

Three promising hockey players, all between age 16 and 17, died in the early hours of August 21 following a fatal car accident. An investigation into what caused the deaths in the Fraser Heights area in British Columbia is now underway. All three men were players associated with the Delta Hockey Academy. 

Of athletes who died young, Samwel Uko, a college athlete from Canada, died by suicide after being denied treatment despite begging for help at a Regina hospital in May 2020. He played for the Huskies Football team as a running back. He admitted himself to a hospital with complaints of chronic pain and depression linked to a past car accident but he was sent home with medication and referred to a mental health clinic. Later that day, he was admitted to the hospital after dialing 911 only to be removed once again. He screamed and begged to stay back to receive treatment for mental health issues but to no avail. Uko died that evening by suicide and his family sued the hospital which was later settled for $81K. 

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Teen hockey players

Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma, and Parker Magnuson lost their lives in the car crash near the 16000-block of 104th Avenue in British Columbia at 2:45 am on August 30. Police and fire crews rushed to the scene but the three boys were found dead by arriving officials. “Our team is still actively working to determine the events leading up to the collision,” said Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn. An investigation in this matter "is still in its early stages" and they're working with at least one witness who was on the scene at the time the police arrived. 

A memorial for the boys was held at the crash site on Sunday and there was a huge rush of friends, teammates, and opponents who dropped by with flowers, hockey sticks, and other tokens of love. "(They were) great hockey players, they were all going to go somewhere, it's just hard to see that happen so fast," said Jonathan Soares, a former teammate of all three boys. "They were all super nice, super kind, loving kids," he added. The Delta Hockey Academy also posted a tribute for the athletes saying, "We are heartbroken to share the tragic news of the passing of three Delta Hockey Academy student-athletes early Saturday morning. Although we do not have formal permission at this time to release the names of the students, all were members of the Delta Hockey Academy.

"Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families of these young student-athletes as they deal with this unthinkable tragedy. The news of such premature deaths is always a shock and difficult to process. We are sensitive to the fact that such an event has an impact on our student-athletes as well as the wider hockey community. The Delta School District has organized support services and resources for our student-athletes starting tomorrow. Thank you to everyone in the hockey community for sharing your support for our student-athletes during this difficult time," the statement concluded. 

The NHL also tweeted a tribute to the boys who could have been drafted in the league one day. "The NHL sends its love and deepest condolences to the families of junior hockey players Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson who tragically passed away in a car accident on Saturday. Rest in peace boys," the tweet read.