Don Sanderson (1987-2009): The Hockey World Mourns a Tragic Loss

Think of all the clever phrases.  All those catchy headlines.  Think of them, and throw them away.

Simply put, the hockey world lost a fantastic man today, as Whitby Dunlops rookie defenseman Don Sanderson passed away—three weeks after hitting his head on the ice during a fight.

Sanderson was in a coma for the entire time since the incident occurred, and never recovered.

He was 21 years old.

Hockey stats aside, Sanderson was, by all accounts, a fantastic human being.

Sanderson was a guy who devoted his time to helping out the younger kids in his community practice their hockey skills.  He also represented the Dunlops at the Santa Claus parade this past year, handing out candy, and speaking to parade watchers as he went along.

It will, of course, send shock waves through the world of hockey, including the National Hockey League, as to whether or not there should be action taken in regards to helmets and fighting.

As it has been pointed out, Sanderson did compete in a league where fighting carried an automatic suspension.  So the dialogue would begin as to whether or not fighting should be taken out of the league, or at least a penalty for a helmet that comes off during combat.

As TSN’s Bob McKenzie said in a statement following the USA/Slovakia game, the life, and death of Don Sanderson should not be meaningless.

There needs to be some action taken on how to keep helmets on during fights.  Whether it is tighter chin straps, or players leaving them on instead of taking them off voluntarily. I think it is finally time for someone to put a stop to helmets off during a fight.

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