Tragedy Strikes: Laval Rocket Fan Passes Away During Place Bell Game

Article content A game between the Laval Rocket and the Manitoba Moose at Place Bell ended early on Saturday afternoon when a fan in the stands experienced a medical emergency. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Subscribe now to receive: Unlimited online access to our award-winning journalism including thought-provoking columns by Allison Hanes, Josh Freed and Bill Brownstein. Opportunity to engage with our commenting community and learn from fellow readers in a moderated forum. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Montreal Gazette ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, where you can share and comment.. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Subscribe now to receive: Unlimited online access to our award-winning journalism including thought-provoking columns by Allison Hanes, Josh Freed and Bill Brownstein. Opportunity to engage with our commenting community and learn from fellow readers in a moderated forum. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Montreal Gazette ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, where you can share and comment.. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address or Article content There was a minute and 12 seconds left in the third period of the American Hockey League game; the Rocket was behind 3-0. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team. Back to video Article content In a video from the game, emergency responders could be seen performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on someone in the stands. Article content Sports broadcaster RDS confirmed early Sunday afternoon that someone had died at the game. Article content Advertisement 1 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Shortly after, the Laval Rocket organization posted a message on social media: “It is with deep sadness that the Laval Rocket has learned of the passing of its fan Michel Pelletier, who attended yesterday’s game at Place Bell. We would like to offer our most sincere condolences to his family and all his loved ones. Article content “Having been part of the members’ community for seven seasons, he has always been there to encourage us and the Rocket family is wholeheartedly with his family.” Article content Sophie Pelletier, identifying herself in a post on the Laval Rocket’s Facebook page as the daughter of the victim, said her father had died peacefully at the Rocket game, “where he liked to be. He was a really big fan of the club.” Article content The victim’s brother said in a post: “I would like to highlight the class shown by the Rocket organization. My brother was a HUGE Rocket fan, and you gave him a lot of joy over the past few seasons. Article content “Thank you to the organization and to all the fans of this GREAT club! Thank you also to all the medical responders who tried to save his life.” Article content Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content A fan who attended the game, Marie-Hélène Séguin, posted: “Bravo to the organization for its decision to stop the game — a decision full of empathy.” Article content Article content She said someone at the game told her that rookie goalie Jacob Fowler had “indicated that something was happening in the stands (and) they stopped the game.” Article content This was Fowler’s first game with the Rocket since an announcement on Friday that the 21-year-old goaltender was being sent down from the Montreal Canadiens, where he had played since December.