Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Todd Ewen died on Saturday.
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“It appears Mr. Ewen died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and is being classified as a suicide.”
He was known for being an energy player, an emotional leader and a frequent fighter who amassed 1,911 penalty minutes over his 11-year career. According to reports, the late 49-year-old battled depression over the years. The Canadiens traded for Ewen in 1989-90 and three seasons later, he and the Canadiens hoisted the Cup in 1993, the last thing he would do as a member of that organization. “Our thoughts are with the Ewen family at this time”. His death was announced by one of his former teams, the St. Louis Blues, on their Twitter account. In 190 games with Montreal, he had 13 goals and 32 points. Ewen was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Blues great Brett Hull, a teammate of Ewen’s, was among the many from around the National Hockey League who have since shared their memories of Ewen.
Per CTV, Ewen also wrote and illustrated children’s books after retiring from professional hockey. His most recent experience came serving as head coach of St. Louis University’s hockey team, leading the Billikens to a Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association championship in 2011. The cause of death was not released.
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Derek Boogaard, 28, also died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose while dealing with a concussion the same year. The following day, police confirmed Ewen’s death was from an apparent suicide.
