According to a report from Renaud Lavoie, later confirmed by the Brampton Guardian, former Boston Bruin defenseman Steve Montador has died at the age of 35.
It's with sadness that I just learn the passing of Steve Montador. He was 35 years old. He played 571 games in the NHL.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 15, 2015
Around 2:30 this morning at his Mississauga home he was pronounced dead after a female friend woke up to find him around 2AM.
“Foul play is not suspected, pending the outcome of an autopsy,” said Const. Fiona Thivierge, a Peel police spokesperson. “At this time, “Thivierge said, “the incident is being treated as a sudden death investigation, not a criminal investigation.”
Montador was a veteran NHLer, playing 12 seasons in the big leagues. He spent a brief stint with the Bruins from 2008-2009 when the team acquired him in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Deadline Day. He played in 13 regular season games for Boston, recording one assist and finishing as a plus-3. In 11 playoff games, Montador recorded one goal and two assists for three points while finishing a plus-5.
Puck Prose
Throughout his career he played for a number of NHL teams including the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks. His most recent team, the Blackhawks he played with for the duration of the 2011-2012 season. Unfortunately, this would be his last year in the NHL after a career-ending concussion forced him to step down. During 2013-2014 he spent some time with the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL before playing in 11 KHL games before hanging up the skates.
He was a very influential person on the Players’ Association board, spending the bulk of his 2012 summer bargaining for a new CBA agreement, one that locked up the NHL until mid-January.
“Our careers are short enough,” he had said to the Chicago Tribune. “To miss two years of a potential 10- or 15- or whatever-year career … that’s a lot of time. At the same time, we’re not going to sacrifice our beliefs just to play a game under a system that we don’t feel will benefit the league, the fans or even individual clubs.”
Montador will be missed by any and all who knew him. He is remembered as a great teammate and stellar friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.