Brittanie Cecil

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Brittanie Nicole Cecil (born March 20, 1988 in Columbus, Ohio, died 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 head at Nationwide Arena on March 16, 2002.

Brittanie had been watching the Columbus Blue Jackets play the Calgary Flames as part of a birthday celebration when a shot by the Jackets' Espen Knutsen was deflected by the Flames' Derek Morris and went over the glass behind the net, striking her in the left temple. Her head snapped back suddenly at the impact, and although she walked out of the arena after the game, she died two days later. An artery in her neck had been damaged by the sudden movement of her head.

Thousands came to her funeral, which was held at the Preble Memory Gardens in West Alexandria, Ohio. This is the town where she also went to school as an 8th grader at Twin Valley South Middle School. It was such a shock to everyone who knew her.

The National Hockey League took steps to ensure that Brittanie's death - the first incident of its kind in the league's history - would not be repeated; nylon mesh nets above the glass behind both goals were made mandatory at every NHL arena from the start of the 2002-03 season to protect spectators from errant pucks.

The Thursday after the incident, the Blue Jackets took to the ice to play the Detroit Red Wings, their first home game since Brittanie's death. The team wore "BNC" initials on their helmets in her memory and have since created the Brittanie Cecil Memorial Fund, which to this day collects donations at every Blue Jackets home game.

Brittanie's parents received $1.2 million in a settlement with the NHL and other groups, according to a statement released 2004-04-14.