Former Leafs enforcer Wade Belak committed suicide: report
Posted September 1, 2011 12:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Police sources told radio station 680News that it appears Wade Belak committed suicide. However, they won’t be able to confirm that until an autopsy is completed.
They said Wednesday foul play isn’t suspected.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer was found dead Wednesday afternoon in a room at One King West Hotel & Residence where Belak was staying. He was 35.
Belak retired from hockey last March after the Nashville Predators placed him on waivers. He was in Toronto preparing to compete on Battle of the Blades this September.
Less than a day before his death, he was on Twitter, tweeting messages about practising for the Battle of the Blades competition to his 8,392 followers.
Belak was the third NHL tough guy to pass away unexpectedly in the past three months.
On Aug. 15 former Vancouver Canuck and Winnipeg Jets scrapper Rick Rypien was found dead in his Alberta home.
His death was described as “sudden and non-suspicious.”
New York Ranger heavyweight Derek Boogaard died on May 13 in Minneapolis. He was 28.
A medical examiner ruled his death was an accident due to mixing alcohol and oxycodone.
“As everyone knows there have been some real losses that we’ve experienced over the years, but it never seemed like there was three in a row like this,” said Pat Quinn, who coached Belak in Toronto. “Anybody that’s around this game, you feel like it’s part of your big family, and that includes the fans and all the people that support these players and get to know them. We’ve lost a lot in the last three months.”
“You don’t replace it. You just hope the ones that are left behind can live through it and be all right.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement that the league was mourning Belak’s death.
“Our hearts go out to Wade’s loved ones, his friends, his former teammates and to all who feel the horrible void left by this tragedy,” Bettman said.
The Predators and Leafs teams issued statements late Wednesday expressing shock and sadness over Belak’s death.
Belak, who played both defence and forward, suited up for the Leafs between 2000 and 2008.
The Saskatoon native also played for Colorado, Calgary and Florida. He played 549 career games in the NHL for 14 seasons.
What are your memories of Belak?
