Two men die after playing recreational hockey at Sharks Ice in San Jose
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News
Posted: 02/23/2009 08:20:15 PM PST
Two men collapsed on the ice while playing recreational hockey at Sharks Ice in San Jose and died within hours of each other on Sunday night.
Brian Kobata, 38, of Morgan Hill was playing with his team, Mug Shots, and had just scored a goal against the A Team, when he grimaced and fell down, Kobata's wife, Heidi, said.
Two teammates tried to save Kobata by giving him CPR and using a defibrillator, a San Jose Fire Department spokesman said. Paramedics were called at 9:06 p.m. and he was taken to a hospital.
In another game that started at 11:15 p.m., Kelly Calabro, 41, of Alameda was leading his team, Beer, in a comeback against The Shenanigans, when he fell on his back. Calabro's teammates also tried CPR but failed to revive their friend.
"It's a very unfortunate and tragic situation," said Ken Arnold, senior director of communications for Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, which operates the facility at Tenth Street and East Alma Avenue.
Sharks Ice, which is the official practice rink for the San Jose Sharks, is home to the largest adult hockey league in the nation, with 3,000 registered players. However, the strenuous sport can be hard on older players. Arnold said ambulances are called to the rink about once every 18 months.
The cause of death has not been determined for either man, family members said.
Heidi Kobata was at the rink watching her husband skate off the ice on Sunday night when he suddenly fell.
She is expecting the couple's first child in June and said her husband had not had any health problems.
She said Kobata loved hockey and electronics and his motorcycle. Born in Mountain View, Kobata attended Prospect High School in Saratoga and later graduated from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo with a degree in finance.
"He was a wonderful husband and he would have been a wonderful dad," she said. He was an internal auditor for Anritsu, a Japanese company with a manufacturing plant and U.S. headquarters in Morgan Hill.
Thad Leingang, a member of Beer, said Calabro had been captain of the team for 15 years. "Kelly's theme was once a Beer, always a Beer," Leingang said.
Leingang said the team all had nicknames and Calabro's was "Guinness." "He was 6-foot-4; when he's on the ice people feared him," Leingang said. Off the ice, however, Calabro was a soft-spoken computer nerd whose two passions were hockey and World of Warcraft, a popular computer game.
His mother, Patricia Calabro, said he graduated from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek and received a bachelor's degree in computer science from California State University-East Bay. She said Calabro, who was living alone in Alameda, had high blood pressure but no other health problems. He worked at Schneider Electric in Alameda.
"One of his dreams was to play hockey," she said.
Memorial service: For information about a memorial service for Kelly Calabro, visit www.teambeerhockey.com.
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It's too bad that we have to die (yes everyone) but what a great way to go! The last thing to see is the ice rushing at me as I enter the eternal slumber. If I could knock out a tooth as I hit the ice that would be like icing on the cake. They make me wear a visor now though...
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As I say to my wife DerbyDawg, the "ONLY" thing better than dying on a rink would be from a single gun shot wound to the head from a jealous husband just as you're finishing your duty! lol. Just kidding everyone ....
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