A Nova Scotia teen who died after collapsing on the ice at a training camp in New Brunswick is being remembered as a talented right-winger.
Jordan Boyd, 16, of Bedford, N.S. was a prospect for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
His friends and family say he was living his dream and was excited to be embarking on the next phase of a promising hockey career.
“My mom had told me when she was up there that when he was going on the ice that it may have been the red jersey, but he was glowing with happiness,” says Boyd’s older brother, Greg Dobson.
“It was probably the best day of his life.”
But, moments later, Boyd collapsed on the ice. The Titan medical team tried to revive him several times but he was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital Monday morning.
The team said Boyd had a complete medical evaluation prior to the camp and didn’t appear to have any medical problems that would have prevented him from taking part in the camp.
Dobson says his brother was a kind-hearted teen who loved to laugh and make other people smile.
“He had a fan message him on Facebook and say thank you for taking the time to play road hockey with her son. It showed a lot about his character. He was more worried about making other people happy than his own image.”
Boyd played minor hockey with the Bedford Blues in Nova Scotia and attended Rothesay Netherwood School, a private school near Saint John, where he played right wing before being drafted this year.
The league's website says he was the team's fourth-round pick and was selected 66th overall in the draft.
When Boyd wasn’t firing pucks at a net on his cul-de-sac in Bedford, he was firing pucks at Nick McFarlane’s net down the road.
McFarlane says he and Boyd were bantam teammates and longtime friends from school.
“He was my best friend from day one of Primary. He never said anything to hurt anyone,” says McFarlane. “He was just a good guy all around.”
Former Halifax Mooseheads coach Shawn MacKenzie is the hockey development professional for Bedford Minor Hockey. He started working with Boyd when he was in the atom age group and says a support group will be set up at the BMO Centre for youth who are trying to cope with the tragedy.
“Not just for the hockey players but people that he’s gone to school with. We want to make sure there’s support for those kids,” says MacKenzie.
After Boyd died, it rained over the KC Irving Centre in Bathurst, producing a beautiful rainbow.
“Someone had tweeted that it’s Jordan’s way of saying, you know, that he made it, so that was very heartwarming,” says Dobson. “We appreciate all the support through social media as well as our neighbours, our friends, our family. It’s been rough but it’s nice to have people there.”
Boyd leaves behind his parents, brother, two older sisters and countless friends.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine a cause of death. The results are expected later this week.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter
