A Minnesota youth hockey coach is in critical condition after suffering an accident during a Friday practice.
According to KARE, Jason Jenson, who is a lieutenant with the Lakeview Police Department, coaches the boys' hockey team at Chanhassen High School, as well as the boys and girls teams at Holy Family Catholic High School.
Jenson fractured his skull after accidentally getting hit and falling onto the ice. His wife, Kelly Jensen, remains by his side as doctors monitor the swelling and bleeding on his brain, assessing the need for emergency surgery.
"It's not where I expected to be today or a couple of days ago," Kelly told KARE, standing outside HCMC's emergency entrance. "It's truly humbling that we take for granted our loved ones and that they can get hurt very fast."
Kelly emphasized the importance of wearing helmets while on the ice.
"Just take our experience and learn from it, so this doesn't happen to anybody else," she said.
Holy Family head boys' hockey coach Zack Friedli, who has known Jensen for four years, said Jensen has been a great coach and role model.
"He's a great guy and the energy he brings and the passion he brings forward every day is obvious and it's infectious, so, I think the kids look up to him," Friedli said. "He's a selfless dude, cares more about everybody than he cares about himself, that's for sure, and that's evident everywhere he goes."
Beginning Monday, Friedli said Holy Family and Chanhassen will require coaches and staff to wear helmets on the ice.
