July 4 is the day when Latvia was shocked by one of the most tragic news in the history of our sport – exactly one year ago, a young man lost his life at the age of 25 in an accident during the celebration of the Independence Day in the USA Matīss Kivlenieks. The talented goalkeeper was considered one of the symbols of the future of domestic hockey with the potential to reach considerable heights in the NHL. In memory of Mathis, MVP spoke to four of his closest friends, who agreed to share memories of what they experienced together not only on the hockey field, but also off it.
The article is available to both MVP and Delphi Plus readers. Subscribers of the sports magazine MVP can read the article HERE.
One of the people with whom Matīs developed the closest relationship not only on the ice, but also in life was one of the most promising Latvian ice hockey players of the moment – defenseman Kristiāns Rubīns. Both started their hockey journey in “Pārdaugava” and met there. Shortly after his tenth birthday, Rubina was transferred to play with boys a year older, where it was Kivlenieks who took care of the safety of the goal at that time. Already at a young age, both of them have a clear goal – to play hockey even after reaching the age of 18-19. “That’s how we found each other,” Rubīns remembers in a conversation with MVP and adds with a smile – the best friends for defenders on the field are usually the goalkeepers themselves. In this case, the story is also about life outside the field. “We practiced a lot extra. Matis used to hit the balls against the wall before and after practice. We had similar character traits, but there were also nuances that we never matched.”
Rubin remembers that Kivleniek liked living in the USA very much. “Latvia was close to Matīs, but the USA was probably even closer. He enjoyed his time there, he felt that he could live there and build his family tree.”
During “Pārdaugava”, the relationship between Matīs and Kristians gained a deep temper and friendship became inseparable, although the hockey path took them in different directions in 2013 – the first went to the lower US junior leagues, while the second found a place for himself in Sweden, to go to Canada three years later .
Justin Gillis, one of this quartet of “Call of Duty” players, also names Mathis as the central axis of this friendship. He has never been to Europe once in his life, but he emphasizes that that day is coming – and the first stop will be Latvia. To meet Kivleniek’s family and friends, including Christian.
Justin’s uncle is Manny Legacy, the goalkeeper coach of the Blue Jackets, and in 2018, he first met Mathis during Michigan’s summer training. At that time, Gillis was still a goalie himself and trained with others, however, after playing in the lower US junior leagues and the third division of the college championship, he realized in time that he would not be able to reach a serious level in professional hockey, so in recent years he seriously focused on his studies.
Mathis attended his first camp at Legacy in 2018, met Justin there, and within a few weeks they formed a close friendship. The two exchanged phone numbers and were close until the day of Kivleniek’s death. Justin was also present on the fateful night of the 4th of July.
Monday, July 4, is Independence Day in the United States, which is usually celebrated in this country on a grand scale. However, it will be a quiet day for the families of Justin and Manny – they are expected to go to the church and the cemetery to honor the memory of Mathis. Even though his friend has been in another sun for a year, his memories will be kept forever, Justin admits with difficulty hiding his bitterness.
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