RIP Steve Montador: The passing of former NHL defenseman Steve Montador at age 35 is very sad and humbling for hockey.
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Former NHL defenseman Steve Montador passed away at age 35 this morning at his home in Mississauga, Ontario. According to a police report, he was found unconscious and later pronounced dead. The cause of death isn’t known. There will be an autopsy.

Montador was a hard nosed player who spent a decade in the NHL playing for six teams. That included the ’03-04 Flames who made a Stanley Cup Final appearance. After only getting into 26 games during that season, he played in 20 postseason games and matched his output with a goal and two assists.

“It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Steve Montador. 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.”

Following the lockout, he was traded to the Panthers where he had success setting career bests in goals (8), assists (15) and points (23) in ’07-08. He would also spend a year with Anaheim posting 20 points and a career high 125 penalty minutes before moving to Boston.

Montador signed with Buffalo and spent two years putting up solid numbers including achieving new personal bests in assists (21), points (26) and plus/minus (11) in ’10-11. He also appeared in the first round tallying a helper in six games. His final NHL season came in ’11-12 with Chicago where he put up five goals and nine assists with a plus-four in 52 games. He spent part of ’12-13 with Rockford of the AHL and concluded his career with Zagreb Medvescak of the KHL in ’13-14.

Unfortunately, Montador battled off ice issues dealing with anxiety and depression stemming from concussions. Head injuries have become common with players who have lost their lives at a young age. While it doesn’t appear to be an extreme case such as Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak or Rick Rypien, it is indeed a scary time for NHL tough guys.

“I can see why people have a hard time with a number of different things and being taken away from something they love to do and not sure if you’d ever get back the chance,” he said at the time, according to CSN Chicago in a TSN article. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety and depression that comes with that.”

It is very sad and begs the question of what’s next for hockey. It’s not just about fighting. But about the illegal hits that cause concussions. The NHL Department Of Player Safety works hard on disciplining guilty culprits. Is the message getting through? Hockey is a tough sport full of athletes who show bravery in defiance of pain. Perhaps there should be more caution. These guys lay it on the line every night. No one should put their long-term health at risk. The fact Montador played last year and is dead a year later is humbling.

Could it have been prevented through scientific study? My gut tells me yes. Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to Montador’s family. 😦