In Memoriam Former pro hockey players/management/others deaths

[vadim sharifijanov]

bob suter never made the NHL, but obviously his brother and son were stars. member of the 1980 US team. his death last september kind of flew under the radar.

it's really sad: what we didn't know about their free agency year was that ryan suter and zach parise both signed with the wild to be close to their sick dads (or at least that's what minnesota public radio tells me).


(but RIP elmer lach, which is what i originally clicked into this thread to say.)

 

[Killion]

Why would Terry Sawchuk be depressed? He has it all right?

You'd think, though back then of course they werent making great $$$ and in a lot of cases were working 2 or 3 jobs on top of playing hockey. Alternative being stuck in a mine or whatever. No control over their lives, could be traded at anytime, and if injured that likelihood increasing exponentially so they'd play through injuries & Sawchuk in particular, Horror Story of injuries that he did play through beyond the cuts to his face, bruises. Collapsed lung, dislocated discs in his back, just on & on. His childhood as well marred by tragedies, 2 of his 3 brothers dying when he was a kid, one of Scarlet Fever when Terry was very young; the oldest, an aspiring Goalie at 17 (when Terry was 10 & who he idolized) from a Heart Attack. Playing Rugby at 12 or so he wrecked one of his arms up & didnt tell his parents about it, left untreated, causing problems for the rest of his life. When he arrived in Detroit Adams demanded he lose 40lbs and as Gordie Howe & others commented at the time, that weight loss seemed to change his personality, causing sleep loss (could only sleep 2hrs at a time) & so on, creating a situation where he then struggled with his weight throughout his career. Really a culmination of a lot of things, becoming surly, short tempered, introspective & ya, angry. Alcohol playing a big part which is itself a depressant & certainly when abused even more so, messing up the central nervous system. So really quite a few factors, early childhood traumas', injuries, sleep deprivation, Id imagine pain killers and not just the kind youd buy at a pharmacy, the booze etc. Untreated throughout his life. Death by misadventure. Happens.

 

[Nunymare]

OP is also missing Steve Montador

It's been there. I just didn't bump the thread when I added it.

 

[Nunymare]

Oh no! Lach died. That's a shame. What a life he lived and the stories he could have told. He lived longer than his linemates. Toe Blake dying in 1995, Rocket dying in 2000. The other two lived full lives as well.

Lach was one of the last greats from his era... Milt Schmidt is the only other one I can think of (he's the oldest living former NHLer now). Next oldest living Hab I believe is John Mahaffy, 96.

 

[MXD]

Dollars St-Laurent just passed away.

 

[Nunymare]

CBC Obit for St. Laurent: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-canadiens-dollard-st-laurent-dies-at-85-1.3022293

He's been ill over the past few years, if I recall correctly. May he RIP.

 

[mbhhofr]

I met Dollard St. Laurent and other teammates of his in 1953 when I was 14 years old. I'm now 75 and to this day I have always said that he was the nicest pro hockey player that I have ever met and I've met many. May he rest in peace.

 

[kaiser matias]

Mark Reeds, who played for the Blues and Whalers in the 1980s and was recently an assistant coach with the Senators, died today from cancer, aged 55.

 

[Nunymare]

Added him. Really sad. He just announced his diagnosis at the end of March too, iirc.

 

[crobro]

He was an unbelievably fast skater.

 

[Nunymare]

John Mahaffy, 96 died on May 2, 2015. Was the oldest living former Montreal Canadien. The oldest Hab now is Bob Fillion, 94.

 

[goawaygary*]

Didn't know Denis Tsygurov died. Will always remember him for looking like former WWF wrestler Curt Hennig...who is also dead.

 

[Nunymare]

Frank Bathgate, Feb. 21 http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/di...nk-Bathgate&lc=3163&pid=174214356&mid=6333486

 

[byrone12]

Greg Parks passes away

Former Canadian national team forward Greg Parks passed away on Tuesday in his hometown of Edmonton. He was only 48 years old.

Parks played four years for Bowling Green State University in the U.S. and spent a season with Karpat Oulu in Finland before moving on to the NHL. During three seasons he appeared in 23 regular-season games for the New York Islanders while spending most of the time with the Islanders’ affiliates.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=9879

 

[Nunymare]

Greg Parks passes away

Former Canadian national team forward Greg Parks passed away on Tuesday in his hometown of Edmonton. He was only 48 years old.

Parks played four years for Bowling Green State University in the U.S. and spent a season with Karpat Oulu in Finland before moving on to the NHL. During three seasons he appeared in 23 regular-season games for the New York Islanders while spending most of the time with the Islanders’ affiliates.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=9879

That's really sad... only 48 years old. RIP.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Unfortunately we really don't know. We assume a hockey player can't possibly be depressed, but they can.

Gordie Howe - who played with Sawchuk forever - said this about him: "For a man who seemingly had everything he was a very unhappy individual."

Why would Terry Sawchuk be depressed? He has it all right? Well, we thought that about Robin Williams too. The truth is, once the curtain is down with these great athletes reality sets in. I really don't know why Montador was depressed either.

Sadly depression is misunderstood still.

There aren't "logical " reasons for depressions and the medical community still doesn't fully understand everything about it but it's a disease that can strike anyone for no apparent rhyme or reason.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Seeing Parks name makes me sad--I was just a few years behind him in the Edmonton Hockey scene

 

[iamjs]

Greg Parks passes away

Former Canadian national team forward Greg Parks passed away on Tuesday in his hometown of Edmonton. He was only 48 years old.

Parks played four years for Bowling Green State University in the U.S. and spent a season with Karpat Oulu in Finland before moving on to the NHL. During three seasons he appeared in 23 regular-season games for the New York Islanders while spending most of the time with the Islanders’ affiliates.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=9879

I thought his name sounded familiar. He was one of the first ECHL players to play in the NHL. I'd say he was probably within the first 10 ECHL players, if not first five.

IIRC, it was Scott Gordon (QUE), Mitch Molloy (BUF), and Parks (NYI) as the first three players from the Chiefs to make the jump.

RIP

 

[Nunymare]

June 29, Wally Stanowski, 96. Last surviving member of the Leafs' 1942 and 1945 Cup winning teams.

http://m.torontosun.com/2015/06/29/maple-leafs-alum-wally-stanowski-dead-at-96

 

[Killion]

June 29, Wally Stanowski, 96. Last surviving member of the Leafs' 1942 and 1945 Cup winning teams.

http://m.torontosun.com/2015/06/29/maple-leafs-alum-wally-stanowski-dead-at-96

Huh. Pretty good long life. And isnt that interesting, that he had $30 "deducted" for his sweater? First time Ive ever heard of this. That is the equivalent of $503.17 in 2015! How that is even possible, that amount.... and just why.... would Conn Smythe or anyone else for that matter at the minor pro or NHL level be charging his players for jerseys? See that in Minor Hockey, House League, but beyond that, no.

 

[Pominville Knows]

Wasn't Stanowski the guy that to what it appears his grave bore a grudge about having a goal stolen by a teammate?

 

[Killion]

Wasn't Stanowski the guy that to what it appears his grave bore a grudge about having a goal stolen by a teammate?

Indeed he was. Howie Meeker to be precise. That his 5 goal game was a work of fiction & not fact. Discussed here not long ago. .

 

[Nunymare]

June 20 - Doug Rombough, 64.

http://sabres.buffalonews.com/2015/06/30/rombough-member-of-sabres-inaugural-draft-class-dead-at-64/

 

[Nunymare]

Leo Reise, 93 on July 26: http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/5753419-radley-reise-never-bragged-about-his-hockey-past/

 

[Nunymare]

Gus Mortson on August 8 at the age of 90: http://m.torontosun.com/2015/08/08/maple-leafs-defenceman-gus-morton-dies