In a sad and strange coincidence, two recreational league hockey players collapsed on the ice and died within hours of each other in two separate incidents in the same San Jose facility on the same night.The two men were both part of an adult league at Shark Ice, a facility that is the practice home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, but this past Sunday, like in many rinks across North America, adult players took to the ice to enjoy a chance to play the game.
The first incident happened when Brian Kobata, 38, was playing for his team, the Mug Shots. After he scored a goal, he grimaced and fell down, according to his wife Heidi. Two of his teammates tried to give him CPR and paramedics were called in at 9:06 PM PT. Kobata was taken to the hospital and passed away.
Just over two hours later, another team called Beer was playing when their 41-year-old captain, Kelly Calabro, collapsed and fell on his back. Like the tragic scene that played out earlier that evening, his teammates tried to revive him, but couldn't save his life.
According to Ken Arnold, whose company Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment operates the rink, ambulances are dispatched to the facility only once every 18 months or so, and this was "a very unfortunate and tragic situation."
Cause of death has not been determined for either man.
