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. March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Arch City The Discovery City Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area    - City  212. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... Two standard hockey pucks. ... Nationwide Arena is a sports and entertainment arena in Columbus, Ohio. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

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. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. ... The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ... Espen Knutsen (b. ... Derek Morris (born August 24, 1978 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a professional ice hockey defenceman. ...

Thousands came to her funeral, which was held at the Preble Memory Gardens in her hometown of 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. West Alexandria is a village located in Preble County, Ohio. ...

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. “NHL” redirects here. ... The 2002-03 NHL season was the 86th regular season of the National Hockey League. ...

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. The Detroit Red Wings are an NHL franchise. ...

Brittanie's parents received $1.2 million in a settlement with the NHL and other groups, according to a statement released 2004-04-14. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ...