Steve Montador, former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, passed away last Sunday morning in his home at Mississauga, Ontario. He was 35 years old.

The Peel Regional Police were in close contact with the situation around the time of Montador's passing. The police recounted that at around 2:00 in the morning, they received a 911 distress call from the Montador household.

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Upon arrival, Montador was already dead and their attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Spokeswoman for the police force, Fiona Thivierge, stated that they are not treating this case as a criminal act. She identifies the occurrence as a sudden death done by natural causes.

An autopsy on Montador's body will still be carried out though. The family members have asked for privacy on the matter as they deal with the news.

Montador's last season in the National Hockey League (NHL) was during the 2011-2012 season. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks.

His team released a statement saying that they are deeply saddened by the unfortunate loss of Montador.

"We join the many others throughout the NHL in keeping Steve's family and friends in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," the Blackhawks said.

Afterwards, he was still able to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League in the 2013-2014 season with Zagreb Medvescak. However, his season was cut short as he was taken out due to a concussion.

Throughout the concussion, Montador battled depression as a physical symptom of the brain injury. He had also sustained a concussion from his last games with the Blackhawks.

In a 2013 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Montador spoke about his depression.

In the interview, Montador said that he understood the feelings of pain, loss, anxiety, and fear that people feel when they are taken away from doing what they love. He also said though that he has had a lot of help through his depression and believes that he felt like he had taken the right steps towards recovery.

In the end, his teammates remember Steve Montador as a solid teammate and natural leader who had an impact on the player's union.

Tagsnhl, Steve Montador, Chicago Blackhawks, concussion, depression