Wade Belak found dead

How long until we see some form of rule change to fighting, if we do at all?

Flames statement on Belak: “We are deeply saddened with the news of Wade’s passing. We are proud that Wade wore the Calgary uniform and we will always remember him as member of the Flames Family. We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the Belak family. This is a terrible loss of a vibrant young man; a man with great character who truly loved the game of hockey.”

Very sad to hear. Ran into him in the customs line here in Toronto a few years back. Dude was friggin' huge, and hella funny.

RIP Belak.

Chris Dingman had the following to say via Twitter:

dingdish Chris Dingman "Terrible news about Belak. Had many battles with him in junior, tough guy on the ice, great guy off the ice. My heart goes out to his family. People think sports, and most just see a lifestyle. It is really hard mentally and physically. Especially hard when your done. When your done, your left to let ponder, what do I do with, myself now? Tough to ponder... More needs to be done to ease the transition."

SpezDispenser wrote:How long until we see some form of rule change to fighting, if we do at all?

I don't think this is something a simple rule change can fix. This seems to be a deeper issue that needs a lot more attention and support from the NHL/NHLPA. These guys battling demons/depression/drugs/alcohol/addiction/whatever need some sort of support system that can get them them help they need to avoid these tragic outcomes.

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:How long until we see some form of rule change to fighting, if we do at all?

I don't think this is something a simple rule change can fix. This seems to be a deeper issue that needs a lot more attention and support from the NHL/NHLPA. These guys battling demons/depression/drugs/alcohol/addiction/whatever need some sort of support system that can get them them help they need to avoid these tragic outcomes.

Someone said that coming down from Oxycotin or whatever it is can cause major depression, so avoiding that like the plague seems like a good idea right now.

SpezDispenser wrote:How long until we see some form of rule change to fighting, if we do at all?

Well, one of the rules this year in the OHL is that players must keep their helmets on during a fight. Falls to the ice hitting their head (like Belak did one time against Brashear) can cause as much or more damage as a fist to the chin.

Yes, I know it's the OHL, but not too many years ago only the minor leagues required players to wear helmets.

holy crap. Loss for words here, this dude was such a funny guy to be around.....if it is suicide or overdose...man what gives???? Is there something so disturbingly wrong in the hockey business that 3 active players (I know belak had just retired, don't go there) have lost their lives in the off-season??

This is turning into wrestling the way they're dropping (correlation?). R.I.P. Belak. What a tragedy for his wife and kids.

SpezDispenser wrote:

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:How long until we see some form of rule change to fighting, if we do at all?

I don't think this is something a simple rule change can fix. This seems to be a deeper issue that needs a lot more attention and support from the NHL/NHLPA. These guys battling demons/depression/drugs/alcohol/addiction/whatever need some sort of support system that can get them them help they need to avoid these tragic outcomes.

Someone said that coming down from Oxycotin or whatever it is can cause major depression, so avoiding that like the plague seems like a good idea right now.

Oxycodone (or Percocet, which is a combination of Oxycodoen and Acetaminophen). All hockey players take those for pain. Not sure if enforcers take more than others.

This is nuts. What's happening to these guys?

This is scary. It's very important for family, friends, everyone to be aware. Depression comes in many forms and often goes unnoticed and thus untreated until too late.

Dash wrote:This is scary. It's very important for family, friends, everyone to be aware. Depression comes in many forms and often goes unnoticed and thus untreated until too late.

It's also a source of shame for many. Too many people die because they were ashamed to talk about their problems. I'm not suggesting that's what happened here, since we don't yet know what happened.

Whatever the outcome, I think the Dingman tweet (Dash posted it above) is interesting. When these guys retire, particularly when forced into retirement by injury or waning ability, there should be something to ease the transition. They spent their lives trying to get to the big game, when that game's over, I'm sure many don't know what to do.

Very sad indeed. He always seemed like a very happy guy, so this is all the more shocking.

Funeral service is today.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2011/09/04/belak_funeral/

according to P.J. Stock, it shouldn't be assumed that this was a suicide. Yes, he hung himself...but....you do the math...either way, tragic.

How bad must your life be -- to do that and leave your wife and children. His children now grow up without a father.

Tragic indeed.

If it was auto-erotic asphyxiation then all these reporters are gonna like like idiots.

sandysensfan wrote:How bad must your life be -- to do that and leave your wife and children. His children now grow up without a father.

Depression will often cloud your judgement and those that take their lives while in that state may not fully realize the impacts of their actions. It can be a very dark world for those that suffer.