Report: Ex-NHL enforcer Todd Ewen's death ruled a suicide
Todd Ewen, a former enforcer in the NHL, died Saturday at age 49. The former St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens player's death was ruled a suicide according to a report.
By
Chris Peters
•
2 min read
Todd Ewen, who played in 518 NHL games in the 1980s and 1990s, died Saturday at age 49. According to CTV Calgary, authorities have ruled Ewen’s death a suicide.
We've learned former #nhl enforcer Todd Ewen appears to have died of self-inflicted gunshot wound to head @CTVNews pic.twitter.com/LDGEAFXxBo
— Amanda Singroy (@CTVAmanda) September 20, 2015
Ewen was remembered by teammates far and wide Saturday night when news of his death was confirmed by the St. Louis Blues, one of his former teams. Among those to express their sorrow was Blues legend Brett Hull:
I was proud to call Todd Ewen a teammate and more importantly, a friend. Can't believe you're gone. #foreverablue
— Brett Hull (@HOFBlues16) September 20, 2015
Over his NHL career, Ewen amassed 1,911 penalty minutes. According to hockeyfights.com, he had 150 fighting majors in his career, including in the playoffs.
Sadly, Ewen is another in a line of several untimely deaths among NHL enforcers or frequent fighters over the last five years.
Ewen's family told CTV Calgary that he battled depression for years.
Despite a tough exterior, Ewen clearly had a big soft spot. He wrote and illustrated children's books as a hobby during his playing days with the hopes of being published one day.
In 1994, he told the Los Angeles Times of one of the books he was writing for his sons who were ages 1 and 4 at the time. It was about "Hop," a frog who dared to be different. Many of his works were meant to have some kind of positive message.
Ewen's hobby was well known among opponents, as he told the Times:
"Just like bumping around, somebody will say, 'Hey, why don't you go sit down and draw some cartoons?'" he said. "That's part of hockey. (Hartford's Pat) Verbeek, I think he's a third-generation pig farmer, so that doesn't come into play, ever. No one ever says anything about that."
Ewen played 11 seasons in the NHL, starting with the St. Louis Blues in 1986-87. He also played for the Montreal Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup in 1993, and was an original member of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Ewen's last NHL season was spent with the San Jose Sharks in 1996-97.
He had settled in the St. Louis area after his career and remained involved in hockey as a coach. Most recently, he was the head coach of the St. Louis University hockey team, which plays at the collegiate club level.
