[sureLoss]

Montador's brother:
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/st...ss-away-early/

The first time Chris Montador noticed a change in his brother was the Christmas of 2011 when he came home for a short visit while playing with the Chicago Blackhawks. That would be Steve Montador’s last NHL season and after shorts stints in the minors and the KHL, his career ended last season, in large part because of concussion problems.

Chris Montador always knew his brother as an upbeat person with a positive outlook on life and someone who always looked for solutions. What he saw that Christmas was a completely different personality. “He wasn’t my brother,” Chris Montador told thn.com in an interview Thursday. “He was like a different person inside his body and it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart today. He wanted to be the same guy, but he just couldn’t.”

Montador, who played 10 NHL seasons with six teams, was found dead at his home in suburban Toronto Sunday morning. Suicide and foul play have been ruled out and until the results of an autopsy are concluded, the cause of death remains a mystery. It is not known whether Montador’s well-documented history of concussion issues and depression led to his death, but his passing at such a young age has once again put the focus on how the NHL and the hockey world as a whole deals with concussions.

“He just either stopped breathing or his heart went,” Chris Montador said. “With respect to his brain, I don’t know how many cylinders were working in there. And as the days have gone on, I think my brother knew he was going to pass away early. He never said that to me, but I just feel he kind of knew that. And as my dad said, he packed 70 years into 35.”