A defenceman on the Ontario Hockey Association's Whitby Dunlops has died after being in a coma for nearly three weeks after falling to the ice and hitting his head during a game.

Don Sanderson died at 1 a.m. Friday morning at Hamilton General Hospital.

Sanderson, 21, had been on life support since Dec. 12, when he suffered a severe head injury during a Major League Hockey Sr. AAA game against the Brantford Blast.

Sanderson's unprotected head hit the ice after his helmet came off during a third-period fight with Brantford's Corey Fulton.

While he briefly regained consciousness shortly after the incident, Sanderson remained in a coma in hospital as his parents, Mike and Donna, sat by his bedside.

Hockey helmet debate

The tragic death has renewed calls for a debate on the rules governing hockey helmets.

While the rules of the AAA league mandate that helmets must be worn and secured, each player can choose how tight the helmets are held in place with the chin straps.

Team captain Peter MacKellar told The Canadian Press that the rules around tightening helmets should be revisited.

"I got into a fight one or two games later and my helmet came off and all of a sudden you're thinking about Don and you're thinking, 'Jeez, this could happen right now,'" he said. "But I've seen so many helmets come off and I've seen people hit their heads on the ice before and you know, (there were) not real complications."

Steve Cardwell, the president of the Dunlops, said the fight between Sanderson and Fulton was not particularly vicious. He said there needs to be a good look at what could have been done to prevent the incident from becoming deadly.

"Any time a tragedy like this happens -- and it could have been prevented by a number of rule changes, or the way helmets are made, or the way that they work -- that debate needs to happen," he said. "Because if you lose just one life and you don't learn from it, then we're all making a big mistake."

'Big heart, valuable player'

Sanderson's teammates have been wearing a sticker on their helmets with the number 40 on it since the accident happened.

MacKellar said the team prayed that Sanderson would pull through.

"In the corner of our mind, we knew it was a possibility but I guess we always hope and pray that things will turn out for the best," he told CTV Toronto.

Cardwell remembered Sanderson as a man with a big heart who was a fierce and valuable competitor on the ice.

MacKellar remembered how much fun Sanderson had at a Santa Claus parade over the holidays.

"He was running up and down, handing candy canes to all the kids," he said. "I think he had the most fun out of anybody. Then he said, 'Mac, I have to go teach a hockey game but I'll be back in an hour or two.' That's the kind of guy he was."

In a statement, OHA president Brent Ladds offered his condolences to the Sanderson family.

"This unfortunate and tragic occurrence has left all of us, within the OHA family, devastated and in a state of grief and disbelief," the statement reads.

"The OHA would like to express their gratitude to the hockey community and the media at large for the tremendous support that has been provided, at such a sensitive and fragile time."

Sanderson, a native of Port Perry, Ont., was a student at York University.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. However, the young man will be honoured during a special ceremony at an upcoming Whitby Dunlops game on January 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Iroquois Park Arena Pad one.

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Toronto's Galit Solomon