Hockey coach ‘loved by everyone’ dies while taking a nap from migraine, NHL star says

A high school hockey coach died in his sleep while taking a nap because he had a migraine, according to Washington Capitals player T.J. Oshie.

“Absolutely heartbroken to learn that my good friend and high school teammate unexpectedly died yesterday,” the National Hockey League star said in a July 22 tweet.

His friend, Michael Tveit, was on the coaching staff for the Warroad High School senior boys’ hockey team in Minnesota, CBS News reported. He was also a husband and dad to three boys.

“Tveiter (Tweeter) as we all call him was also a great mentor to the numerous boys he has coached as a member of the Warroad Boys Highschool Hockey coaching staff,” Oshie said in a GoFundMe he created. “As a teammate in his High School days Tveiter was known as the big teddy bear but also a protector of the team on the ice. A big brother that would stick up for anyone (donning) the black and gold.

“Tveiter was loved by everyone he came in contact with,” Oshie continued.

Tveit’s wife, Darnell, described her husband as her “soulmate and the love of my life.”

“He was the best dad and step dad I could of ever asked for,” she wrote on Facebook. “He’s my guardian Angel now and I am forever grateful for the time I spent with him! Please continue to pray for my boys and I and our families. We need love and support and the community to get us through this horrible nightmare.”

McClatchy News requested comment from Warroad Public Schools on July 24 and was awaiting a response. Tveit’s cause of death is unclear.

Warroad is in northern Minnesota near the U.S.-Canada border, about 345 miles north of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Hockey coach ‘loved by everyone’ dies while taking a nap from migraine, NHL star says."