Former NHLer Stephen Peat's life comes to a tragic end at just 44 years old

The NHL Alumni association has announced that former NHL enforcer Stephen Peat has passed away at age 44 years old.

Peat reportedly died from a tragic accident two weeks ago.

The native of Princeton, BC was a feared man on the ice in his heyday. Standing 6'2" and weighing 230 lbs, Peat was never afraid to throw his weight around. He racked up fighting majors in the WHL as a teenager and put himself on NHL scouts' radar with his gritty play and his willingness to stick up for teammates. He was selected 32nd overall by the Washington Capitals back in 1998 and would go on to play 130 career games with the team from 2001 - 2006.

He was also a member of the infamous Danbury Trashers UHL franchise during the 2004-05 NHL lockout and is memorialized in the Netflix documentary 'Untold: Crimes and Penalties'.

In a 2018 article from the CBC, Peat revealed that he suffered from extreme headaches, memory loss and an inability to focus for long periods of time. All of these symptoms are associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

"I can't even describe [the pain] right now. My head feels like it's gonna fall off," Peat said to the CBC.

"But I'm doing all right. I mean what can I do? Hopefully not die."

Peat admitted to 'self-medicating' for years with illicit drugs, but was reportedly clean and sober following a stint at a rehabilitation center on Vancouver Island in 2015. He plead guilty to arson after lighting his estranged parents' house on fire in 2015.He was also reportedly living in his truck in the Langley area in recent years.

For me, I'll always remember him for this classic tilt with PJ Stock in 2002:

RIP, Stephen.