http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/15 ... auga-home/
Former National Hockey League defenceman Steve Montador was found dead at his suburban Toronto home early Sunday morning, according to Peel Regional Police.
Montator, 35, was found by a female friend around 2 a.m. in his Mississauga home. Police say there is no foul play suspected in his death.
“It’s believed to be natural causes,” said Const. Fiona Thivierge, a spokesperson with Peel police. “There’s an autopsy being done only because of his age, but there’s no criminality believed to be associated with the death.”
Const. Thivierge also said his family is asking for privacy.
“We’ve spoken to his family and his family is obviously devastated by the loss and they are asking for privacy,” she said.
Originally from Vancouver, Montador was a defenceman who appeared in 571 regular season NHL games. He began his career in 2001-02 with the Calgary Flames, and was a member of the 2004 team that made a run to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montador played six seasons with the Flames.
“It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Steve Montador,” the Flames organization said in a statement. “Steve will always be remembered to us as a member of the Flames family. We are very proud that he wore the Calgary uniform over six seasons and also of his important contributions during that period both on and off the ice. We would like to express our sincere condolences to the Montador family. This is a terrible loss of a wonderful young man; a great teammate known for his big heart and character. He will be missed by all who had the pleasure to have known and worked with him.”
Craig Conroy, his former Flames teammate and current assistant general manager of the club, said he “loved” playing with Montador and remembered him as an integral part of their ’04 Stanley Cup run.
“He was the ultimate team guy and great person,” Conroy said in a statement released by the Flames. “The type of person willing to do anything for his teammates and friends. I remember Steve as playing such an important part of our 2004 Stanley Cup Finals team. He had the ability to bring everyone together and was so enjoyable to be around; he would light up a room with his presence. I’m so sad today to hear the news that we have lost an important member of both the Flames and hockey family. We will all miss you dearly Monty.”
Montador also played for the Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks. He scored 33 goals, 131 points and 807 penalty minutes over the course of his NHL career.
Most recently Montador played 11 games in the KHL with Zagreb Medvescak in 2013-14.
In a statement, NHL Players’ Association Executive Director Don Fehr said they are “deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Steve Montador.”
“Steve was a great person who quickly became a friend of everyone he came to know in the game; teammates, NHL club staff, the media and fans. Over the course of his career, he was an active member of the NHLPA and someone who I and our entire staff, enjoyed working closely with. He dedicated a lot of his time to advancing the interests of his fellow players. On behalf of the players and staff, we send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s family and his many friends. He will be greatly missed.”
The Chicago Blackhawks organization also offered their condolences to Montador’s family.
“With deep sadness we mourn the unfortunate loss of former Blackhawk Steve Montador. We join the many others throughout the NHL in keeping Steve’s family and friends in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the club said in a statement.
Montador spoke candidly about concussions — and their lingering complications — in a December interview with The Peterborough Examiner. He told the paper he suspected he suffered as many as a dozen concussions in the final three years of his playing career.
“You’re putting someone into a depressive situation and I can understand why some of these former athletes talk about depression,” he told the Examiner. “It’s no surprise, unfortunately, given the dire and full-on effects that there are people who end up committing suicide. It’s the far end of the spectrum they’re willing to go given they don’t know the answers to what is happening.
“It was really challenging for me because I found for a good while I didn’t feel right and I couldn’t explain it. It was a pretty sad situation and I didn’t know what to do about it.”
He told the paper that, despite his age, he had no further plans to play.
“I love the game but I have no desire to play and don’t miss the game at all,” he told the paper. “Now I’m moving back to Toronto, Mississauga actually, to start chapter two.”
On social media, many former and current NHL players reacted to his death.