Wade Belak was not only an amazing player, but he was also a great leader, friend and dad.

Well, this wasn’t the way I wanted to return to Lady Preds. Even though we are on a hiatus at the moment, this was too important to not share. The rumor began appearing amongst the social media sites, but unfortunately, this rumor confirmed; Former Predator Wade Belak has passed away.

The Toronto Sun was the first to report the sad news stating he was found in his hotel room in the Canadian city dead from an unknown cause. However, it is speculated that he may have accidentally overdosed on prescription medicine.  A Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, Belak was in Toronto filming a TV show called “Battle of the Blades”.

Wade Belak has been on several other teams in the league including the Quebec Nordiques, the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, but his time with the Predators and Nashville stuck with Belak. He called Nashville home and, after retiring from the NHL, continued to help his new found home. Not only was he a significant leader in the Nashville community, he was also a volunteer firefighter for Williamson County.

I was very lucky to have had the chance to meet Wade Belak back in the Spring. As everyone has said in other statements, Belak was definitely a high spirited, happy guy who could find a friend in anyone. It sad to see such an influential person pass away in such a fluke way. Prayers go out to the Belak family and close friends.

The Predators are set to have a press conference shortly and updates will be available. Until then, here is the official press release from the Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (August 31, 2011) – “The entire Nashville Predators organization and family is shocked and saddened by the sudden and untimely passing of Wade Belak. Wade was a beloved member of the organization, a terrific teammate and wonderful father and husband who will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Jennifer and children Andie and Alex. We offer our full support to them at this very difficult time.”

Again, we couldn’t be more saddened by the passing of Wade Belak. We are at a loss for words, but prayers are being sent to his family. Truly heartbreaking.