Barilko, Sawchuk, Horton, Spencer, Kordic, Belak all played for Maple Leafs
This week's reports regarding the passing of Wade Belak not only shocked because he was the third NHL enforcer to die this offseason, but also because he was the fifth former Toronto Maple Laefs player to die relatively young.
I don't believe Wade Belak had the kind of problems that plagued Terry Sawchuk, Brian "Spinner" Spencer and John Kordic, which made his passing seem all the more sudden and premature.
Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs
William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko (March 25, 1927 – c. August 26, 1951) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Barilko was of Ukrainian descent and had a brother, Alex, and sister, Anne.
In February 1947, Bill Barilko was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs from the PCHL's Hollywood Wolves and played for Leafs until his death. He was assigned sweater #21 when he debuted for the Leafs. He changed to #19 for the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons. The #5 (which was retired by the Leafs) was only worn by Barilko for one season, 1950-51. During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup champions on four occasions 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951. The last goal he ever scored (in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens' Gerry McNeil in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final, on April 21, 1951) won the Leafs the Cup.
Disappearance and death
Four months later, on August 26, 1951, Barilko joined his dentist Henry Hudson on a flight aboard Hudson's Fairchild 24 floatplane to Seal River, Quebec, for a weekend fishing trip. On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing. Eleven years later, on June 7, 1962, helicopter pilot Ron Boyd discovered the wreckage of the plane about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Cochrane, Ontario, about 35 miles off course. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather and overloaded cargo. Notably, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year, after not winning it at all during the eleven years that he was missing.
Fifty Missions Cap - The Tragically Hip honour Bill Barilko
The Tragically Hip's song "Fifty Mission Cap", from their 1992 album Fully Completely, features Barilko's story and the lack of another Leafs championship "until 1962, the year he was discovered."
Fifty-Mission Cap Lyrics
By The Tragically Hip
Bill Barilko disappeared that summer,
he was on a fishing trip
The last goal he ever scored
won the Leafs the cup
They didn't win another until 1962,
the year he was discovered
I stole this from a hockey card,
I kept tucked up under
my fifty mission cap,
I worked it in
I worked it in
to look like that
It's my fifty mission cap
his fifty mission cap
I worked it in
I worked it in
I worked it in
to look like that
and I worked it in
to look like that
Bill Barilko disappeared that summer,
he was on a fishing trip
The last goal he ever scored
won the Leafs the cup
They didn't win another until 1962,
the year he was discovered
my fifty mission cap,
I worked it in
I worked it in
to look like that
It's my fifty mission cap
his fifty mission cap
I worked it in
I worked it in
I worked it in
to look like that
and I worked it in
to look like that
It's my fifty mission cap
It's my fifty mission cap
It's my fifty mission cap
It's my fifty mission cap
Terry Sawchuk, legendary NHL goaltender
Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (December 28, 1929 – May 31, 1970) was a Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.
Sawchuk was born and raised in East Kildonan, a working-class, Ukrainian section of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was the third of four sons and one adopted daughter of Louis Sawchuk, a tinsmith who had emigrated to Canada as a boy from Galicia, Austria–Hungary (now Ukraine), and his wife, Anne Maslak Sawchuk, a homemaker. The second son died young from scarlet fever and the oldest, an aspiring hockey goaltender whom Terry idolized, died suddenly of a heart attack at age seventeen. At age twelve, Sawchuk injured his right elbow playing football and, not wanting to be punished by his parents, hid the injury, preventing the dislocation from properly healing. Thus, the arm was left with limited mobility and several inches shorter than the left, and bothered him for his entire athletic career. After inheriting his older brother's goalie equipment, Sawchuk began playing ice hockey in a local league and worked for a sheet-metal company installing vents over bakery ovens. His goaltending talent was so evident that at age fourteen a local scout for the Detroit Red Wings had him work out with the team, who later signed him to an amateur contract and sent him to play for their junior team in Galt, Ontario, in 1946, where he also finished the eleventh grade but most likely did not graduate from high school.
The Red Wings signed him to a professional contract in 1947, and he quickly progressed through their developmental system, winning honors as the Rookie of the Year in both the U.S. and American Hockey Leagues. Sawchuk also filled in for seven games when the Detroit goalie Harry Lumley was injured in January 1950. Sawchuk showed such promise that the Red Wings traded Lumley to the Chicago Black Hawks, though he had just led the team to the 1949–1950 Stanley Cup. Nicknamed "Ukey" or "The Uke" by his teammates because of his Ukrainian ancestry, Sawchuk led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups in five years, winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie (the first to win such honors in all three professional hockey leagues) and three Vezina Trophies for the fewest goals allowed (he missed out the other two years by one goal). He was selected as an All-Star five times in his first five years in the NHL, had fifty-six shutouts, and his goals-against average (GAA) remained under 2.00. In the 1951–1952 playoffs, the Red Wings swept both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, with Sawchuk surrendering just five goals in eight games (for a 0.67 GAA), with four shutouts.
The Red Wings traded Sawchuk to the Boston Bruins in June 1955 because they had a capable younger goaltender in the minor leagues (Glenn Hall), which devastated the self-critical goalie. During his second season with Boston, Sawchuk was diagnosed with mononucleosis, but returned to the team after only two weeks. Physically weak, playing poorly, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he announced his retirement in early 1957 and was labeled a "quitter" by team executives and several newspapers. Detroit reacquired Sawchuk by trading a young forward named Johnny Bucyk to Boston. After seven seasons, when they had another promising young goalie (Roger Crozier) ready for promotion from the minor leagues, Detroit left Sawchuk unprotected in the intraleague waiver draft, and he was quickly claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Sawchuk sharing goaltending duties with the forty-year-old Johnny Bower, the veteran duo won the 1964–1965 Vezina Trophy and led Toronto to the 1966–1967 Stanley Cup. Left unprotected in the June 1967 expansion draft, Sawchuk was the first player selected, taken by the Los Angeles Kings where he played one season before being traded back to Detroit. Sawchuk spent his final season with the New York Rangers, where he played sparingly.
On February 1, 1970, in only his fourth start of the season, he recorded his 103rd and final shutout of his career by blanking the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sawchuk appeared in his last NHL game on April 14 when Rangers coach Emile Francis replaced goalie Ed Giacomin in an effort to slow down the playoff game against the Boston Bruins. He was in the net for less than a minute before Giacomin returned.
Sawchuk married Patricia Ann Bowman Morey on 6 August 1953 after a brief courtship. They had seven children, and the family suffered for many years from Sawchuk's increasing alcoholism, philandering (a Toronto girlfriend became pregnant by him in 1967), verbal and physical abuse. Morey threatened to divorce him numerous times, and finally did so in 1969.
Sawchuk struggled with untreated depression, a condition that often affected his conduct. After the 1969–1970 season ended, Sawchuk and Rangers teammate Ron Stewart, both of whom had been drinking, argued over expenses for the house they rented together on Long Island, New York. Sawchuk suffered severe internal injuries during the scuffle from falling on top of Stewart's bent knee. At Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Sawchuk's gallbladder was removed and he had a second operation on his damaged and bleeding liver. The press described the incident as "horseplay," and Sawchuk told the police that he accepted full responsibility for the events. At New York Hospital in Manhattan, another operation was performed on Sawchuk's bleeding liver. He never recovered and died shortly thereafter from a pulmonary embolism on May 31, 1970 at the age of forty. The last reporter to speak to him, a little over a week before his death, was Shirley Fischler (wife of Stan Fischler), who went to see him in the hospital as a visitor, not identifying herself as a reporter. Sawchuk told her the incident with Ron Stewart "was just a fluke, a complete fluke accident."
Fischler described him as "so pale and thin that the scars had almost disappeared from his face." A Nassau County grand jury exonerated Stewart and ruled that Sawchuk's death was accidental. Sawchuk was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Pontiac, Michigan.
During his career, Sawchuk won 501 games (447 regular season and 54 playoff), while recording 115 shutouts, (103 in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs).Sawchuk set the standard for measuring goaltenders, and was publicly hailed as the "best goalie ever" by a rival general manager in 1952, during only his second season.
Sawchuk finished his hockey career with 447 wins, a record that stood for thirty years, and his career record of 103 shutouts remained unsurpassed among NHL goaltenders, until Martin Brodeur bested that mark on December 21, 2009. In 1971, Sawchuk was posthumously elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame and awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States. The Red Wings retired his number 1 in 1994. In 1997, the book Shutout: The Legend of Terry Sawchuk by sports author Brian Kendall, was published. Also, the book Sawchuk: The troubles and triumphs of the World's Greatest Goalie was published in 1998 by David Dupis, with participation by the Sawchuk family. In 2001, he was honored with his image on a Canadian postage stamp, even though he had become a U.S. citizen in 1959. In 2008, Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems, a book of poetry about Sawchuk by Randall Maggs, was published. The Terry Sawchuk Arena in his hometown of Winnipeg is named in his honour.
Tim Horton, legendary Leafs defenceman
Myles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in 24 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. He was also a businessman and a co-founder of Tim Hortons. He died in an automobile crash in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1974 at the age of 44.
Tim Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario, at Lady Minto Hospital. His parents were Aaron Oakley Horton (a Canadian National Railway mechanic) and Ethel Horton. Tim had one brother, Gerry Horton. His father was of English descent, and his mother of Irish. The Hortons moved to Duparquet, Quebec, in 1935, but returned to Cochrane in 1938. In 1945, Tim and his family moved to Sudbury, Ontario.
Tim Horton grew up playing ice hockey in Cochrane, Ontario, and later in the mining country near Sudbury, Ontario. The Toronto Maple Leafs organization signed him, and in 1948 he moved to Toronto to play junior hockey and attended St. Michael's College School. Two years later, he turned pro with the Leafs' farm team, the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League, and most of his first three seasons were spent with Pittsburgh. He played in his first NHL game on March 26, 1950. He started to play regularly for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fall of 1952. He remained a Leaf until 1970, winning four Stanley Cups. Horton later played for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
Horton was known for his tremendous strength and calmness under pressure, and had relatively few penalty minutes for an enforcer-type defenceman. Horton was a hard-working and durable defenceman who was also an effective puck carrier – in 1964–65 he played right wing for the Leafs. He was named an NHL First Team All-Star three times (1964, 1968, and 1969). He was selected to the NHL Second Team three more times (1954, 1963, 1967). He appeared in seven National Hockey League All-Star Games.
Between February 11, 1961, and February 4, 1968, Horton appeared in 486 consecutive regular-season games; this remains the Leafs club record for consecutive games and was the NHL record for consecutive games by a defencemen until broken by Karlis Skrastins on February 8, 2007. On March 12, 1955, he had suffered a broken leg and jaw after being checked by Bill Gadsby of the New York Rangers. The injuries were so severe that he missed much of the following season, and there had been some doubt as to whether he would ever be able to return to the game.
Horton had a reputation for enveloping players who were fighting him in a crushing bear hug. Boston Bruins winger Derek Sanderson once bit Horton during a fight; years later, Horton's widow, Lori, still wondered why. "Well," Sanderson replied, "I felt one rib go, and I felt another rib go, so I just had—to, well, get out of there!"
Injuries and age were little more than minor inconveniences to Horton, who was generally acknowledged as the strongest man in the game while he was playing. Chicago Blackhawks winger Bobby Hull declared, "There were defensemen you had to fear because they were vicious and would slam you into the boards from behind, for one, Eddie Shore. But you respected Tim Horton because he didn't need that type of intimidation. He used his tremendous strength and talent to keep you in check."
In 1962, he scored three goals and 13 assists in 12 playoff games, setting a Leafs team record for playoff points by a defenceman that was tied in 1978 by Ian Turnbull and was not broken until 1994, when David Ellett registered 18 points.
Despite being 42 years old at the time, and suffering from considerable nearsightedness, former Leafs general manager Punch Imlach signed Horton to the Buffalo Sabres in 1972. His performance was more than adequate and aided the Sabres into their first playoff appearance in 1973. He subsequently signed a contract extension in the offseason.
Horton wore the number 7 while playing for the Leafs, the same number worn by King Clancy from 1931–32 to 1936–37. The team declared both Horton and Clancy honoured players at a ceremony on November 21, 1995, but did not retire the number 7 from team use; instead, it became an Honoured Jersey Number.[3] abiding by Leafs honours policy. Horton wore number 2 in Buffalo (as Rick Martin already had the number 7), which was retired.
Clancy once lamented, "If he'd only get angry, no one would top him in this league." But Horton believed that he had taken too many penalties early in his career because of his "hot temper".
Doughnut industry
In 1964, Horton opened his first Tim Horton Doughnut Shop in Hamilton, Ontario on Ottawa Street. He even added a few of his culinary creations to the initial menu. By 1967, Horton had become a multi-million dollar franchise system. Horton's previous business ventures included both a hamburger restaurant and Studebaker auto dealership in Toronto.
Upon Horton's death in 1974, his business partner, Ron Joyce, bought out the Horton family's shares for $1 million and took over as sole owner of the existing chain of 40 stores.
Today, in addition to over 2,700 locations in Canada, there are over 556 Tim Hortons Doughnut Shops in the United States, and they can be found in Michigan, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and other American states, mainly in the Northeast and the Great Lakes region. There is also a Tim Hortons on the Kandahar Canadian Military base in Afghanistan. There is also a number of Tim Hortons in the United Kingdom.
Ron Joyce's son married Horton's daughter, returning the Horton family to the company.
Early on the morning of February 21, 1974, Horton was driving on the Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to his home in Buffalo after the Sabres had played in Toronto the night before, in his De Tomaso Pantera sports car, a gift from Sabres' GM George "Punch" Imlach. He was navigating a curve on the QEW where it crosses over Twelve Mile Creek (Ontario) in St. Catharines when he lost control and hit a concrete culvert. The impact flipped the vehicle and Horton, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle. Horton was reported dead on arrival at the local hospital. A police officer pursuing Horton's vehicle said that he had been travelling at over 160 km/h (100 mph).
There were reports that Horton had consumed a considerable amount of vodka, and was rumoured to have been taking pain killers due to a jaw injury suffered in practice the day before. An autopsy report released in 2005 showed Horton had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit. The blood test also showed signs of amobarbital, which was possibly a residue from the Dexamyl pills that were found on Horton's body. The autopsy showed no indication Horton was taking painkillers as previously thought.
Not long after Horton's death, Ron Joyce offered Lori Horton (Tim's widow) $1 million for her shares in the chain, which included 40 stores by that time. Once she accepted his offer, Joyce became the sole owner. Years later, Mrs. Horton decided that the deal between her and Joyce had not been fair and took the matter to court. Mrs. Horton lost the lawsuit in 1993, and an appeal was declined in 1995. Lori died in 2000. Tim and Lori left four daughters, Jeri-Lyn (Horton-Joyce), Traci (Simone), Kim and Kelly. Jeri-Lyn married Ron Joyce's son Ron Joyce Jr. and owns a store in Cobourg, Ontario.
Tim Horton is buried in York Cemetery, Toronto.
Awards and achievements
Named to NHL First All-Star Team in 1964, 1968, and 1969
Named to NHL Second All-Star Team in 1954, 1963, and 1967
1961–62 – Stanley Cup champion
1962–63 – Stanley Cup champion
1963–64 – Stanley Cup champion
1966–67 – Stanley Cup champion
1977 – Inducted (posthumously) into the Hockey Hall of Fame
1982 – Inducted (posthumously) into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame
1996 – Number 2 retired by the Buffalo Sabres
1998 – Ranked number 43 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
2004 – Ranked number 59 in The Greatest Canadian list by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Brian "Spinner" Spencer
Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (September 3, 1949 in Fort St. James, British Columbia – June 3, 1988 in Riviera Beach, Florida) was a Canadian Professional ice hockey player who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Career
Brian Spencer was drafted in the 5th Round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. On December 12, 1970, when he was called up to play with the Leafs in what would be his first NHL game on television, he called his father Roy Spencer in British Columbia to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals was aired instead of the Maple Leafs versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (84 mi) to Prince George, where the closest CBC Television station, CKPG-TV, is located. When he arrived he ordered them at gunpoint to broadcast the Maple Leafs game instead. The station complied but as Roy Spencer left the station he was confronted by the RCMP. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.
After a few seasons with Toronto and the New York Islanders, Spencer was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres. Spencer had his best offensive production in a Sabres uniform when he scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 1974–75. Spencer played well in Buffalo and was extremely popular with the fans at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. His hustle, aggressive play, and hitting ability was something the fans admired. Spencer developed into a solid two-way player. He would however be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in September 1977.
His offensive production fell as he took on the role of a checking forward with the Penguins. Spencer's last NHL season came in 1978–79 when he played 7 games for Pittsburgh. He then finished his playing career in the AHL (Binghamton, Springfield and Hershey) and retired after the 1979–80 season.
Off The Ice
While off the ice Spencer was often found working on his vehicle, dubbed "The Hulk". He began with a 2½ ton Army convoy truck and removed the body. Next, Spencer installed a 651 Cummins diesel engine and placed the shell of a 1972 Dodge van and hood of a Mack Truck atop. The dashboard was taken from a DC-3 cockpit, and all the gauges were functional. Brian also had a small black-and-white television monitor in the dashboard, which was connected to cameras in the back "sleeping" area of the Hulk. The hood ornament was a horse's jawbone.
Death
After hockey, Spencer ran into some rough times. He submersed himself into a life of drugs and violence. In 1987 he was charged with kidnapping and murder and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates gathered around him and tried to help him through those rough times. The lead attorney in the case was Barry A. Weinstein and the lead investigator was Leon Wright. Both men were members of the capital division of the Office of the Public Defender of Palm Beach County and in their years at the public defender's office, they had never lost a client to the death penalty. A former teammate from the Buffalo Sabres, Rick Martin, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury deliberated and ruled with a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. However, despite the acquittal and a move to Florida, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. In almost a similar manner to how his father's life ended, Spencer's life would end the same way three months later: shot and killed at gunpoint, this time in a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida, with his friend Gregory Scott Cook at his side.
Spencer is survived by five children from two different marriages and his twin brother, Byron.
A book on Brian's life Gross Misconduct: The life of Spinner Spencer, written by Martin O'Malley, was adapted in 1993 by Atom Egoyan into a made-for-television film in Canada, Gross Misconduct.
John Kordic, NHL enforcer
John "Rambo" Kordic (March 22, 1965 — August 8, 1992) was a Canadian hockey player in the National Hockey League.
Kordic played for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and Quebec Nordiques, for a total of seven seasons in the NHL. He won the Calder Cup with Sherbrooke Canadiens in 1985, and a Stanley Cup with Montreal Canadiens in 1986.
While playing for Toronto Maple Leafs, he wore #27, formerly worn by Leaf players Darryl Sittler and Frank Mahovlich. Kordic was known as an enforcer on the ice.
On August 8, 1992, after overdosing on drugs and being involved in a struggle with police at a Quebec City motel, Kordic died of lung failure due to heart malfunction. At his time of death, Kordic was 27 years old.
John's brother, Dan, played for the Philadelphia Flyers organization in the 1990s
Wade Belak, popular NHL hockey player
Wade Belak (July 3, 1976 – August 31, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 12th Overall. He played for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
In 2004–05 he played for Coventry Blaze in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) during the NHL lockout. Belak won man of the match a number of times and was voted to the EIHL All-Star team at the end of the season.
Until December 4, 2007 Belak was on pace to set a Leafs record for most consecutive games without a goal. He went 143 games until he scored against the Nashville Predators.[1] Belak was previously featured in a Rogers Sportsnet interview where he jokingly admitted he was attempting the record intentionally. Despite his limited scoring in the NHL, Belak has scored on notable goalies such as Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo,[3] and Chris Mason.[1] Wade Belak was traded to the Florida Panthers on February 26, 2008 for a 5th round draft pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Belak was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nick Tarnasky on November 27, 2008.
After playing in 15 games for the 2010–11 season, Belak was placed on waivers on February 25, 2011. Going unclaimed, Belak was assigned to the Predators AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, but decided on March 8, 2011 to retire and remain with the Predators in an organizational role.
Personal life
Belak was born in St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Lorraine Belak and Lionel Aadland. At age six, his family moved to Battleford where he attended St. Vital Elementary School, Battleford Junior High, and North Battleford Comprehensive High School. He was described as a typical jock, and by 14, he was aiming to become a certified lifeguard.
On July 20, 2002, Wade married Jennifer Jordan Russell in Banff, Alberta. They have two daughters, Andie Marie (born July 23, 2004) and Alex Grace (born March 20, 2006), who were both born in Toronto. The family owns two Yorkshire dogs: Oscar and Macie.[6] In the summer, the family resides in Kelowna, British Columbia, where Wade enjoys golfing, bike-riding, softball, and water sports. Wade's younger brother Graham Belak played in several lower-tier leagues and was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, 53rd overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, although he never played a game in the NHL.
Off the ice, the Toronto media portrayed Belak as a charismatic, easy-going person who loves to joke , contrary to his aggressive style of play. He has participated in spoof interviews with Greg Ross of Rogers Sportsnet; Ross characterizes him as an athlete who has a sense of humour about his career. He also had his own segment with Leafs TV called "Wade a Minute". In 2008, Belak also hosted his own short form series on BiteTV called The Wade Belak Show.
Death
At approximately 1:33 p.m. on August 31, 2011, Belak was found dead in a condo at One King Street West hotel and residences in Toronto, Ontario. Belak had been preparing to take part in the upcoming season of Battle of the Blades.
It has been reported that Wade took his own life... very sad and perhaps forever unexplainable.
Former Toronto Maple Leaf Wade Belak, 3rd NHL enforcer to die in 2011
Sources: wikipedia.org, OJoeCollege.blogspot.com, harnesshorses.blogspot.com
The family owns two Yorkshire dogs: Oscar and Macie.[6] In the summer, the family resides in Kelowna, British Columbia, where Wade enjoys golfing, bike-riding, softball, and water sports.
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