Peter Zezel Dies at 44 From Blood Disorder

The NHL community and the family of Peter Zezel is mourning his death as the former player died yesterday after a long battle with a blood disorder.  The rare disease, haemolytic anaemia, causes red blood cells to be destroyed faster than the body can replace them.  He was 44 years old.

The family released this statement:  "Peter will forever be remembered as a great teammate and a wonderful individual, who touched the lives of many both on and off the ice. In his typical character of generosity, Peter has donated his organs through the Trillium Gift of Life Network. We would like to thank all of Peter’s friends and family for their support and we ask for privacy during this difficult time."

While Zezel is probably known best for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs (he is a Toronto native, after all), he spent some of his 15 years in the league with the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks.  He retired from the NHL after the 1998-1999 season.  He also played soccer for the Toronto Blizzard (North American Soccer League) and the North York Rockets (Canadian Soccer League). 

For the past 11 years, he ran hockey camps in his hometown and appeared on TSN’s Off The Record with Michael Landsberg.  In all, he took a seat on the guest panel 19 times with the most recent appearance being earlier this month (May 7).

Across the league, people have reacted to the sad news:

"The hockey community has suffered a great loss today.  Peter was a friend and a great family man who was well liked by everyone he crossed paths with in our game. Our thoughts are with Peter’s family and many friends during this difficult time." – NHLPA Director of Player Affairs Glenn Healy.

"On behalf of the Maple Leafs, I want to convey our deepest sympathies to Peter’s family, friends and former teammates.  He was the consummate professional and he always carried himself with great class as a human being. Peter will be greatly missed." – Maple Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke.

"Peter was the ultimate caring friend and teammate.  He was so dedicated to his family and friends and he would always freely give of his time and energies to help someone else. He was truly a passionate and loyal friend both on and off the ice. Our hockey family is devastated." – Former Maple Leaf Mark Osborne.

For those who would like to make a contribution, Zezel’s family has requested that donations be made in Peter Zezel’s name to the James Birrell Fund at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The cheques should be made payable to "The James Fund" and can be mailed to:

The James Fund
625 Whitaker Street #4
Peterborough, ON
K9H 7L5
Canada

I would like to extend my condolences to Zezel’s family during this very difficult time.