Former Deceased Blackhawk Involved in Serious Lawsuit Against The NHL For His Cause of Death

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Sam Walker
February 7, 2023 (1:04 PM)

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Rick Westhead has been TSN's #1 hockey contributor, and he just dropped a bomb on another lawsuit that the NHL is facing, this time it's VERY serious.

Steve Montador, an NHL-veteran of 12 years that spent time with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames sadly passed away on February 15th in 2015. Steve was a Canadian-born hockey player and had been playing hockey ever since he could walk, but his hockey career was put in jeopardy due to loads of brain drama, says Rick Westhead of TSN.

Death. On February 15, 2015, Montador was found dead in his Mississauga home. According to his brother, "he just either stopped breathing or his heart went".

An autopsy found Montador's brain had been ravaged by the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The only known risk factor for developing CTE is repetitive blows to the head.

Montador, born in Vancouver and raised in Mississauga, was a beloved teammate who played a physical brand of hockey and wasn't afraid to drop the gloves.

After his competitive days were over and his life moved away from the ice, Montador paid the price for all his concussions.

Rick Westhead reported the following:

New: An Illinois state judge has issued an order outlining a roadmap for a lawsuit filed by father of deceased player Steve Montador, who alleges NHL misrepresents dangers of repeated brain trauma.
All discovery to be finished early Jan 2024.
Trial in summer of 2024 is possible.

Westhead even shared more details, and they are quite triggering.

Montador suffered at least 11 documented concussions in NHL, inc. 4 in 12 weeks in 2012, his family has said.
(Steve actually had 19 documented concussions, Dr. Charles Tator told a govt hearing in 2019.)
Montador's father has been locked in an 8-year legal battle with the NHL.

4 concussions in 12 weeks, and was still cleared to play. It is quite sad the mistreatment he received by various teams' medical staff, which his father claims to have been linked to his passing at just 36 years of age. Hopefully justice is served.