By Benson Judge | Published: July 23, 2026 | Sources: public statements from the Sackville Minor Hockey Association
Nova Scotia , Canadian Province – The Lower Sackville and wider Nova Scotia communities are mourning the death of Matthew “Matt” Lent, a devoted husband and father, respected emergency medical communications professional and beloved youth hockey coach.
Matt’s passing has prompted heartfelt tributes from the Sackville Minor Hockey Association, members of Nova Scotia’s paramedic community and colleagues connected with EHS and LifeFlight.
Across those messages, one portrait appears consistently: Matt was a compassionate family man, a steady professional and a patient coach who gave people far more than his time.
He gave them his attention, encouragement and heart.
A Devoted Husband and Father
Matt leaves behind his loving wife, Terri-Lynn, and their two children, Emmerson, 11, and Georgia, 8, according to the public tribute shared by the Sackville Minor Hockey Association.
Emmerson played with the Sackville Flyers, connecting Matt’s family life closely with the hockey community he served.
Friends and colleagues have emphasized that, above every professional title or volunteer role, Matt was first and foremost a devoted husband and father.
His unexpected passing has left his family facing an immeasurable loss and a future profoundly changed by his absence.
A fundraiser organized by Joanne Cheevers was announced to help Terri-Lynn and the children with immediate expenses, household costs and their continuing needs. Because fundraising pages can be copied or impersonated, readers should donate only through a link shared directly by the family, the official hockey association or a trusted organizer.
Sackville Minor Hockey Remembers Coach Matt
The Sackville Minor Hockey Association announced Matt’s passing in a moving tribute to its U11 assistant coach.
The association said Matt gave much more than his time to the team. He believed in every child, celebrated small victories and worked to ensure that each player felt valued, regardless of ability.
That approach made his influence larger than hockey.
Through patience, kindness and consistent encouragement, Matt helped young players develop confidence, teamwork and character. The association remembered him as someone who helped shape not only better athletes, but better young people.
For the children he coached, he was the adult on the bench who noticed their effort, encouraged them after difficult moments and reminded them that improvement mattered more than perfection.
For parents and fellow volunteers, he was a dependable presence whose compassion could be seen in the way he treated every member of the team.
The association expressed its condolences to Terri-Lynn, Emmerson, Georgia and the entire Lent family, while inviting those who knew Matt to share memories of the impact he made.
Its tribute captured the place he will continue to hold within the organization:
Forever a Flyer. Forever our coach. Forever in our hearts.
A Coach Who Saw the Person Behind the Player
Youth coaching is often measured by practices, games and results, but Matt’s contribution cannot be explained by a scoreboard.
The Sackville Minor Hockey tribute described a coach who paid attention to the individual child behind the helmet and jersey.
He celebrated progress.
He encouraged effort.
He made room for players of different abilities.
He understood that a young athlete may remember a coach’s kindness long after forgetting the score of a particular game.
That is the kind of influence that becomes a legacy.
Every time a young Flyer steps onto the ice with greater confidence, supports a teammate or shows patience to someone still learning, part of Coach Matt’s example will continue.
Matthew Lent’s Service in Emergency Medical Communications
Matt was also remembered across Nova Scotia’s emergency medical services community.
The Nova Scotia Paramedic Professional Association identified him as an EHS Medical Communications Officer and former paramedic.
In that role, he was described as a steady and reliable dispatcher who consistently championed patient and crew safety. Colleagues remembered his compassion, humour and determined advocacy as qualities that made him highly valued within the Medical Communications Centre and the broader EHS system.
A separate labour-community statement also identified Matt as a Medical Communications Officer whose death was deeply felt by colleagues, LifeFlight personnel and support teams.
Emergency medical communications work often happens away from public view, yet it is essential to the safe coordination of care.
Communications officers receive urgent information, support frontline crews, organize resources and help ensure that patients receive appropriate assistance as quickly and safely as possible.
Those responsibilities require calm judgment, reliability and empathy—qualities repeatedly attributed to Matt by those who worked with him.
LifeFlight Colleagues Honour Matthew Lent
Tamara Hartlen also shared a tribute on behalf of members of the LifeFlight community, remembering Matt as a valued member of the team and an Air Medical Transport Communications Officer.
Her message said Matt would be missed by family members, friends, colleagues and community members.
The tribute closed with words reflecting the language of the work he supported:
“Rest easy, Matt … safe flight.”
That message speaks to the bond created among people who work in emergency and air-medical services, where trust, clear communication and concern for one another are vital.
Matt’s professional contribution was not limited to directing resources or relaying information. According to colleagues, he brought compassion, humour and advocacy into a demanding environment where every decision could matter to a patient or crew.
Tributes Reflect a Life of Service
Matt’s roles in youth hockey and emergency medical communications may appear different, but the tributes reveal a common thread.
In both settings, he supported people.
At the rink, he encouraged children, celebrated their progress and helped them feel included.
At work, he advocated for patients and crews, provided reliable communication and contributed to the safe coordination of emergency care.
At home, he was a husband and father whose family stood at the centre of his life.
That pattern of service explains why his death has affected so many groups across Nova Scotia.
He was not remembered only for what he did, but for the spirit in which he did it.
Matthew Lent’s Cause of Death
A verified cause of death has not been publicly disclosed in the official community statements reviewed for this article.
The tributes describe Matt’s passing as sudden or unexpected, but they do not provide sufficient information to state how he died.
Out of respect for Matt’s family, this publication will not speculate or repeat unsupported claims regarding the circumstances of his death.
Any update should be based on a statement from the Lent family, an authorized funeral home, a medical authority or another directly involved and reliable source.
Funeral and Memorial Arrangements
Verified visitation, funeral, memorial or burial arrangements for Matthew Lent were not available in the authoritative public sources reviewed at the time of publication.
Readers should rely on information issued directly by:
- The Lent family
- An identified funeral home
- Sackville Minor Hockey Association
- An authorized family representative
Details appearing on anonymous obituary websites or copied social-media pages should not be treated as confirmed unless they match a family-authorized announcement.
This section should be updated promptly when official arrangements become available.
Supporting Terri-Lynn, Emmerson and Georgia
A GoFundMe fundraiser has reportedly been established to support Terri-Lynn and the children following Matt’s death.
According to the organizer’s statement supplied for this report, donations are intended to assist with immediate expenses, household and living costs and the ongoing needs of Emmerson and Georgia.
Those unable to contribute financially have been encouraged to share the verified fundraiser and keep the family in their thoughts.
Readers should confirm that a donation page names the correct organizer and beneficiaries before contributing. The safest option is to access the fundraiser through an official post from Sackville Minor Hockey or a direct statement from someone authorized by the family.
A Legacy That Will Continue on the Ice and Beyond
Matthew Lent’s legacy reaches across his home, his workplace and the hockey rink.
To his family, he was a loving husband and father whose presence cannot be replaced.
To his emergency-services colleagues, he was a reliable communications professional who cared deeply about patient and crew safety.
To the Sackville Flyers, he was Coach Matt—the patient voice on the bench, the person who noticed every child’s effort and the leader who understood that youth sport is ultimately about helping young people grow.
The bench will not feel the same without him.
The Medical Communications Centre and LifeFlight community will feel his absence.
His family will carry the deepest loss of all.
Yet the lessons, laughter and encouragement he shared will remain in the lives of the people he touched.
Every young athlete who remembers his kindness, every colleague who recalls his advocacy and every friend who carries one of his stories helps preserve that legacy.
Thank you, Coach Matt, for every lesson, every laugh and every life you touched.
Forever a Flyer. Forever our coach. Forever in our hearts.
Our deepest condolences are extended to Terri-Lynn, Emmerson, Georgia, Matt’s extended family, his friends, his colleagues and the entire Sackville Minor Hockey community.
May Matthew Lent be remembered with gratitude, dignity and love.