Former Toronto Maple Leaf NHL player Wade Belak Found Dead

Former Toronto Maple Leaf NHL player Wade Belak has been found dead in his downtown Toronto apartment. He was found by police on Wednesday around 1:40 pm and soon later pronounced dead.

Belak was only 35 and recently retired. He was in town as a former NHL player training for the CBC series Battle of the Blades set to air this fall. There is no cause of death as of yet, but there is opinions circulating as to the correlation between two other recent deaths in the NHL to pass away since May.

Derek Boogaard 28, of the New York Rangers was found dead in his Minnesota apartment on May 13 with the cause of death later determined as an accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone toxicity. Rick Rypien Winnipeg Jets forward (notes) was found dead in his Alberta home at 27 on August 15th, which was determined as a suicide.

There are more details to come as further tests are conducted. Belak leaves behind his wife and two children.

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