Former Maple Leaf Wade Belak Found Dead

The 35-year-old enforcer becomes the third NHLer to die this summer.

Recently retired NHL enforcer Wade Belak, 35, was found dead on Wednesday in a downtown Toronto condominium. Belak, a Saskatoon native, retired from the sport as a member of the Nashville Predators just this summer and had signed on to the next season of the CBC figure-skating competition “Battle of the Blades.” Belak played on five teams over 15 years, including stints on the Calgary Flames and more recently, the Toronto Maple Leafs, where is on-ice pugilism and easygoing sense of humour with the media endeared him to countless fans. Belak is the third NHL enforcer to die this offseason, following the accidental overdose of Derek Boogaard of the New York Rangers and the suicide of Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien.