Swedish hockey referee dies after getting hit in head by puck during junior game

Swedish referee dies after getting hit by puck

STOCKHOLM — A Swedish ice hockey referee has died after being hit in the back of the head by a puck during a junior game.

A police spokesman said the 62-year-old man was refereeing an under-18 game in northern Sweden on Saturday and was struck by the puck when a player tried to lob it into the offensive zone.

It was not immediately clear whether he died from being hit by the puck or from hitting his head on the ice when he fell.

Police did not name the man, but local media identified him as Roland Hedberg.

Police say the man received CPR by an off-duty ambulance driver within 10 seconds of the accident, but that he was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital.