Ex-Boston Bruin Andrew Ference talks on Steve Montador’s life.
Steve Montador died suddenly at his home early Sunday evening. He was thirty-five years old. “Foul play is not suspected, pending the outcome of an autopsy,” said Constable Fiona Thivierge, a Peel police spokesperson about Montador’s passing.
Montador played 571 games in his NHL career. He earned one hundred and eleven points during that time(33 goals). He was the kind of player that Bruins fan liked to watch. A solid defender that played with heart. Montador was no stranger to dropping the gloves to help or protect his team. He earned over eight hundred minutes in penalties by the time he played his last game during the 2011-12 season.
Former Boston Bruins Andrew Ference knew Montador better than most players in the NHL.
“That’s the part that’s so sad right now,” said Ference to the Calgary Herald. “The last time I talked to him … he was going to be a father, so we talked about him being a parent and stuff like that. He was real excited about being a dad. That’s the part, this morning, that really crushed me – that was the focal point of our conversation.”
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Ference was teammates with Montador during his time in the Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins. The Flames reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004 in part to the hard work of Montador. Montador’s time was limited in the Black and Gold. He came over in a rental trade with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008-09 season.
“He was always so nice to my kids. He was around my kids a lot when we played together. We talked about that a lot – being a parent, being a dad. He was obviously excited to go through that himself. That’s a really, really tough one to think about right now.”
It’s always tragic to see a young player have to leave the game before he wants to. It’s even more so when the player unexpectedly passes on. Montador’s final NHL season was cut short by a serious concussion.
“I know people talk about sports being a microcosm for life, and it’s very true that way.” said Montador back in 2013 as he prepared to make a comeback to the NHL. “I can see why people have a hard time with … being taken away from something they love to do. There’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety and depression. I’ve had a lot of help to work through that, and I feel like I’ve taken the right steps.”
His death will likely spur more talk among the league and the players’ union over long-term effects of concussions on NHL players. Andrew Ference was one of the leaders in the talks that ended the last NHL lockout. We can be sure to see this topic come up again at the next collective bargaining agreement, and expect Ference to help lead the talks again.