Twin Cities hockey coach recovering after falling on ice
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — The wife of a hockey coach is speaking out about safety following a scary fall on the ice.
Jason Jensen was coaching the Holy Family hockey team Friday when he fell on the ice and hit his head. He was rushed to the hospital shortly after the fall.
WCCO has learned Monday that Jason Jensen is breathing on his own while recovering at a Minneapolis hospital.
"This was a freak accident," said Kelly Jensen, Jason's wife. "This was something that's nobody's fault it happened. If he was wearing his helmet, he maybe wouldn't be here right now."
Kelly Jensen says she's thankful to see her high school sweetheart show signs of recovery after the Friday night accident.
"He was able to give me a thumbs up and squeeze my hand," she said.
Jason Jensen coaches several youth hockey teams, including Chanhassen boys junior varsity and varsity, as well as his own son's bantam team.
Since this incident, Holy Family and Chanhassen have changed their policies, making helmets mandatory at practice.
"That alone just makes me so happy that they see what's the problem and they're really being proactive," said Kelly Jensen. "The Holy Family and Chanhassen hockey community has been so supportive to us."
When Jason Jensen isn't working with young athletes, he's serving his community. He has been with Lakeville police for the last 19 years and currently oversees their investigative department as a lieutenant.
"He's just extremely hard-working, very behind the scenes, kind of a get your hands dirty type of person," said Lakeville Police Chief Brad Paulson.
Paulson believes Jason would hate all this attention he's getting right now.
"I would love that because if he's mad at us and me, that means he's healthy, happy and the same old Jason that we always knew. So that's truly our hope for full recovery," he said.
The Minnesota State High School League encourages coaches to wear helmets, but it's not mandatory.
Jason's wife hopes by sharing their story that the league will permanently change the policy.