Steve Montador passes away at age 35

[manwiches]

I haven't posted yet on this, but even after hearing about this yesterday and reading the outpouring of respect and condolences from fellow players and people that knew him, you know the world lost one of its good guys. For some reason, this one hurts a lot. Rest easy Monty

[Squirt]

Nice write up from Elliotte Friedman:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/r...te-and-friend/

[killer_carlson]

From the Friedman write up, I had no idea that Montador roomed with Iginla during the cup run.

[jschick88]

Sarah McLellan @azc_mclellan · 2 minutes ago

#Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair coached Steve Montador in AHL and was assistant during time in CGY. "It's devastating," Playfair said.

Playfair was exchanging text messages with Montador last Friday. "He said, "Life was good.' He was expecting a baby and was all excited."

All of Playfair's kids called him to say how Montador impacted them. "He went out of his way to acknowledge them & make them feel important"

[Russic]

I was actually thinking about Playfair. It's probably been mentioned in this thread already (I only looked at page 1), but hearing him on the Fan a few years ago, he talked about Montador like a son.

[StrykerSteve]

Originally Posted by jschick88

Sarah McLellan @azc_mclellan · 2 minutes ago

#Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair coached Steve Montador in AHL and was assistant during time in CGY. "It's devastating," Playfair said.

Playfair was exchanging text messages with Montador last Friday. "He said, "Life was good.' He was expecting a baby and was all excited."

All of Playfair's kids called him to say how Montador impacted them. "He went out of his way to acknowledge them & make them feel important"

Damnit, I was hoping he wasn't married, no kids, etc. This makes it worse.

[CsInMyBlood]

Very sad news, Monty was a great guy and seriously did epitomise the Calgary Flames of 2004.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Really heartbreaking news. I remember his goal against San Jose like it was yesterday. He was banging his stick on the ice begging for that pass. Sounds like he really had a lot of friends in the hockey community and everyone says that he was such an awesome guy. That he had a baby on the way breaks my heart even more. I always liked him as a Flame, this one hurts.

[AC]

Hayley Wickenheiser posted this long message about Monty:
https://www.facebook.com/22wick/posts/10152582677416927

Well worth the read.

[icarus]

Wow reading those stories by Duha, Friedman and Wickenheiser has got me a bit misty in the workplace

You see the amount of love for him not just from hockey people but from us fans and you wonder how someone like that can have the demons they did. But depression can and does affect those in the public eye as much as those outside it.

I wonder how many of our other heroes are struggling and if they is anything we as fans can do to help, even if it is simply letting them know they are still our heroes.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by icarus

I wonder how many of our other heroes are struggling and if they is anything we as fans can do to help, even if it is simply letting them know they are still our heroes.

I guess you have to know that they are struggling first and foremost. Before this news broke I don't think it was widely known he was struggling with anything and we don't even know if that was anything to do with his death although I'm pretty sceptical in this day and age that a fit male would pass in his sleep at the age of 35 of "natural causes" as that's not natural unless he had some heart complications that were unknown and even at that the guy must have had so many physicals over his lifetime that you would think that something would have come up.

[Phanuthier]

Listedned to a bunch of interviews of Commodore and Conroy, very sad news, you could tell he was a loved member of that 2004 team. Between Darryl, Commodore and Conroy, they all said the same 4 names : Warraner, Regehr, Montador, McLennan (one other mention of Gelinas, I think that was Darryl) ... those were the glue. The good guys of 2004. RIP

[Daradon]

It's so weird how someone so loved and so respected by all those around them, would feel so alone.

Goes to show you, depression doesn't make sense. It's not always (or often) something you can just 'snap out of'.

Feel so sad for everyone involved.

[RedMileDJ]

nm

[Daradon]

I thought I read that in the early posts of this very thread.

I don't mean to speculate. Obviously all deaths are of a sensitive nature.

EDIT: I see now it's been changed. Can't really blame me for not rereading the first part of the thread.

[Erick Estrada]

Gelinas also mentioned something about it but I don't know if that was because he heard the same speculation.

[Circa89]

Has any light been shed on cause of death?

Sudden arrhythmia?

Sorry if I missed this.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Circa89

Has any light been shed on cause of death?

Sudden arrhythmia?

Sorry if I missed this.

Waiting for autopsy. Family would have to agree to make the results public

[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.”

[Buster]

And people wonder why I watch hockey and football, but will discourage my kids to play it.