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Wade Belak laid to rest today; Tie Domi speaks up about depression

Colin Wilson, David Legwand, Shea Weber

Nashville Predators players and staff including Colin Wilson, left, David Legwand, second left, Shea Weber, center, talk before a memorial service for former Predators NHL hockey player Wade Belak on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 in Nashville, Tenn. Belak was found dead Wednesday in a Toronto hotel and condo. (AP Photo/Christopher Berkey)

AP

Friends and family of Wade Belak said their final good-byes to their fallen friend in Nashville as Belak’s funeral was held Sunday morning. The funeral was a private ceremony closed off to the public and while it’s still unknown exactly how Belak died, speculation continues to swirl over how depression played a role in his mental state. While that cloud still lingers on, his former teammates remembered him as one of the nicest guys off the ice.

Past teammates from Belak’s days in Toronto with the Maple Leafs as well as his most recent teammates from Nashville have talked about what a special guy he was. David Legwand even took out a full page advertisement in a Nashville newspaper to remember him by.

The Tennessean’s Josh Cooper caught up with former Toronto teammate of Belak’s, Tie Domi, to get his reflections on a guy who died too young. Domi said that the talk of Belak’s struggle with depression may have played a role in his death.

Following the service, Domi intimated that Belak may have suffered from depression, and it was a contributing factor in his death.

“This has to do with depression and getting the right message out there,” Domi said. “That depression can be beat. That’s what I want to do for him and his family is get the right message out there. Because the wrong message has been sent. Not just about hockey. This is about life. There are 3,500 people in Canada who commit suicide a year, 80 percent of them are men.”

Added Domi, “Wade was alone and he can’t be alone when you have these things going on. You have to call somebody.”


The cause of learning more about depression and finding ways to combat it and help those dealing with it on a daily basis is one that’s worth being educated about. If it proves to be true that Belak committed suicide, it makes an already sad story and makes it sadder. After talk from Belak’s mother and TSN host Michael Landsberg about how they knew of Belak’s struggle with depression, it would be tough to see that he took his life because it got to be too much for him.

Nothing is going to help bring him back, but if his death proves to be an example for people to learn about the perils of depression, Belak’s legacy could prove to help people with their own lives and mental health.