Former Edmonton Oilers Prospect Tragically Passes Away At 44 Years Old
This morning, news broke that former Edmonton Oilers goalie prospect Kristian Antila has passed away at 44 years old in Finland.
Reports of Antila's passing have been confirmed by the Finnish source Iltalehti. The cause of death has not been revealed, and his passing is described as sudden and unexpected.
Antila had been working in construction in his hometown country of Finland, and his employer issued a statement on LinkedIn about his passing.
»Kristian was a hard-working, friendly and committed employee who impressed us all. He was always ready to listen, help and support others.
We will remember Kristian as a warm and caring person who loved being out in nature. His passing is a great loss and his memory lives on in our hearts."
We will remember Kristian as a warm and caring person who loved being out in nature. His passing is a great loss and his memory lives on in our hearts."
Antila was briefly a teammate of Jari Korpisalo in Sweden, the father of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Jari recalled his memory of playing with Antila.
I remembered Kris as a young, promising goalkeeper, a good team player and a reasonably lively guy.
The Edmonton Oilers drafted Antila in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Draft. Four year later, Antila came to play in North America, but never got higher than the AHL before heading back overseas to play professionally in Sweden.
Unfortunately, Antila's playing career came to an early end in 2005 when he retired due to consistent groin problems.
This news comes shortly after the NHL lost veteran referee Mike Hasenfratz at 58 years old, who officiated over 700 games between 2000 and 2014.
Our thoughts go out to all those affected by Antila's passing.
| POLL | ||
Did you ever see Kristian Antila play? | ||
| Yes | 4 | 8.5 % |
| No | 43 | 91.5 % |
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