Matiss Kivlenieks may be gone, but his legacy will live on forever.
On Monday evening, the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation announced the creation of the Matiss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund, which will support youth hockey initiatives in Columbus and Latvia. Because Kivlenieks wore #80, the Blue Jackets organization and the McConnell family have pledged $80,000 to the fund to match donations. Per the club, all contributions that have already been made to the Foundation in Kivlenieks' name will be directed to this fund.
According to the Blue Jackets' press release, there will be a memorial service on Thursday, July 15th at 10 a.m. ET at Schoedinger Funeral Home. The service will be private and limited to family, friends and invited guests. There will be a live stream of the service on BlueJackets.com for those who cannot attend.
