RALEIGH, N.C., May 3 — Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed early this morning when his pickup truck veered and flipped from the road hours after his team had been eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Johnson said speed was a factor and that alcohol may have contributed to the accident, which occurred about eight miles from the Raleigh Belt Line on a road that shrinks from five lanes to two. The speed limit at the site of the accident is 55.
Johnson said evidence at the scene and interviews with people who were with Chiasson before the accident indicate that Chiasson may have consumed alcohol. The spokesman said it would take “a few days” to complete tests to determine Chiasson’s blood-alcohol level.
Hours earlier in Boston, the Bruins had ended the Hurricanes’ season with a 2-0 victory in Game 6. Friday night, Chiasson (pronounced CHAY-sahn) scored the first goal in a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Bruins.
“This is a tragedy that is impossible to put into words,” Hurricanes President and General Manager Jim Rutherford said at a brief news conference at the team’s offices. Hurricanes Coach Paul Maurice and defenseman Glen Wesley also attended the news conference.