Death of Brittanie Cecil

2002 American ice hockey fatality

Brittanie Nichole Cecil (March 20, 1988 – March 18, 2002) was a hockey fan who died from injuries suffered when a puck was deflected into the stands and struck her in the left temple at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 16, 2002. It was the first and currently only fan fatality in the NHL's history. Because of Cecil's death, the league implemented mandatory netting at both ends of the rink in every arena at the beginning of the next NHL season in 2002–03 to protect spectators from errant pucks.

Born on March 20, 1988, Cecil was the daughter of David and Jody Cecil A native of West Alexandria, Ohio, a rural community near Dayton, Cecil was an avid sports fan and soccer player, competing in a state tournament with her team, the Orange Crush, at eleven years old. After the team qualified for the state tournament, mayor Carol Lunsford declared the day Orange Crush Day. She died nearly 48 hours after being struck, at 5:15 p. m. on March 18, 2002, two days before her 14th birthday.

After the NHL spent several months studying the environment of the arena and spectator areas which determined that extra safety measures were required to lessen the risk of high speed pucks entering the spectator areas, league commissioner Gary Bettman ordered the implementation of mandatory safety netting above the protective glass behind and to the sides of both ends of the rink by at least 5 feet (2 m) atop the boards in all arenas. The netting has also been implemented by other hockey leagues and organizing bodies globally. A lawsuit brought by Cecil's family against the NHL and the arena was settled out of court for $1.2 million in April 2004. The Brittanie Nichole Cecil Memorial Scholarship Fund has since been created, which collects donations at every Blue Jackets home game.