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AP source: Ex-NHL player Wade Belak's death was suicide
TORONTO – Former NHL player Wade Belak hanged himself, according to a person familiar with the case.
Belak, an enforcer who had played with five NHL teams before retiring in March, was found dead Wednesday in Toronto. He was 35.
The person familiar with Belak's death said he hanged himself at a downtown luxury hotel and condo building. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because details of the investigation were confidential.
"At this point it's non-suspicious," Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella said Thursday. "We will not provide any further information on a non-suspicious case."
Belak is the third NHL enforcer found dead since May.
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Just heartbreaking. This picture of him goofing off with his daughter makes me laugh every time I see it. He just had a great personality.
I don't know...there have been enforcers since the dawn of time. And I think it would be fair to say that the players of years past played in less regulated/safe conditions. Why now? Could it be just a coincidence? And what if it were left wingers. Would we be discussing removing left wingers from the game. I think it's too easy to start thinking simplistically and saying that removing enforcers/fighters from the game solves this problem. I think it's horribly tragic and my thoughts/prayers for the families, but to start talking about removing a major component of the game is reactionary.
I think the reason I'm upset about seeing the staged fights is A. theres no REAL point to them and B. people get seriously injured doing it. Ivananas is STILL out with a concussion he suffered from a staged fight the first game of last season. Its kind of gut wrenching to think about, 200-250 pound guys fighting with skates on, on ice,(I can't even stand on ice let alone box some huge dude) just for the amusement of the crowd who doesn't even think much of these "goones". Whats the point? I get the fights that ensue to protect someone, or in the heat of the moment but enoughs enough sometimes.Originally Posted by jerseydevil
That's still not an argument for removing the entire concept from the game. Can they curb it? Sure. The staged fights you refer to seem to me the difference between premeditated(two goons deciding to go at the face off) and an act of passion(a fight that erupts directly during a sequence of events.) I know it makes me seem like a neanderthal but i do not want to see hockey where everyone can be nominated for the Lady Byng award. I want to see guys hitting and other guys taking exception to it. Otherwise they may as well curtsy and shake hands at the end of every game. I do not want to see guys die because of it but maybe somebody ought to look into the wellness of some of these guys. Seriously, if you come out of juniors and you are primarily known as a stonefisted penalty gatherer maybe some basic testing/monitoring should be done to determine just how healthy you are before you start getting punched in the head. It's just like with the NFL, there really is no aftercare when you hang em up, as in Belak's case. And I have to imagine in Boogards case they really didn't care too much about anything other than the fact that this overpaid asset they acquired was a bust and was probably not going to play in the way they wanted ever again. Look at the case of Mike Danton. He was a winger and he had mental problems for a long time that led to his arrest. Theo Fleury...hell, even Ken Daneyko has had numerous off the ice problems. It's not limited to 'goons'. It has just been a series of unfortunate events that has led people to jump to that conclusion.
The game has changed so much in the last 10 years. Compare that with the game 20, 30 or 60 years ago and you've got an entirely different game.
And considering up until the late 60's there were 6 teams. 6. You had to be good to even get in that crowd. You had to have skill. If you were going to fight, you have to make sure you could score and skate well at the same time. My grandfather was signed by Toronto but he ended up being too small. He was over looked once they got him because while he would have been an asset to the team, he was also a detriment. If he got hurt, they'd lose their money.
They've gone from have maybe 100-120 players in the league to over 700. Its like anyone can make it these days.
And the staged fights. I like old time hockey. I really do and a bench clearing brawl gets me all excited but not when its staged. I'm cool with a good fight is there is reason for it and there is passion behind it. Not just because the game is getting boring or the crowd needs to make some noise. Its funny, all I ever hear is how people are going to the games to see the fights and the ice girls. Really? Wouldn't boxing be a getting schtick for you?
Unless they come up with some really good evidence that being an 'enforcer' is either making these guys take their own lives or causes a depression so great that they just can't live with themselves anymore then I don't believe it. There has to be something more. Rypien was known for his moods. People knew he had a problem. Not one article I've read about Belak makes him sound like he had mental issues. Not saying he didn't, but every comment about him made him sound like a total goofball that loved life. Rypien, not so much. Boogard? We knew he already had a drug problem. So the fact that there was an accidental OD? I'm shocked that it happened, but knowing his history, I got over the shock pretty quickly.
If they were saying these guys all died from, lets say, seizures, then yes, I say lets look at the 'enforcer' roll and its toll on the body. For now, I hate to see the stigma of 'mental case' be slapped on all enforcers in the league or up and coming enforcers.
Good post. The evolution of the game you speak of has actually removed a lot of the stonehanded/slowfooted strictly enforcer types. Some teams still carry a goon, but how many shifts does the guy get in a game where he isn't up in the press box because tonights team doesn't carry one. I agree that the fights 'for momentum' could be removed from the game. I think you have to be careful how you legislate that though. How many times have you seen 2 guys go into the box just chompin at the bit to get back out there due to unfinished business? The game itself has removed a lot of the fighting element naturally and it's safe to say that you see a majority of games go without a major. During the playoffs...forget about it. I just fear the tendency to overreact.
If I'm reading all of what's been said right, it sounds like these guys had spent their entire lives in a world of hockey. Once their lives were changing to where they were no longer needed in a competitive roll, they just couldn't face life doing anything else. While most people are able to move on to other rolls, there seems to be some who just can't make that adjustment. Bare fisted fighters are a breed all of their own.
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