Stephen Peat, Former NHL Player, Dies at 44 After 'Tragic Accident'

Mar. 15, 2025

Stephen Peat at MCI Center on March 6, 2004 in Washington, DC.Photo:Mitchell Layton/Getty

Mitchell Layton/Getty

Former Washington Capitals forward Stephen Peat died on Thursday, Sept. 12. He was 44.

The NHL Alumni Association revealed the news in a Sept. 12 post onX (formerly known as Twitter), announcing that the retired NHL enforcer died after he succumbed to his injuries following a “tragic accident just over two weeks ago.”

No further details about the incident were provided. However, the NHLAA confirmed, “Stephen will be helping to save numerous lives through organ donation.”

“We send our deepest condolences to Stephen’s family, friends, and former teammates during this difficult time,” the NHLAA said.

The Capitals also expressed their “heartfelt condolences” to Peat’s family and friends. “Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time,” read the team’sX post.

Stephen Peat during NHL game action on October 25, 2003 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Graig Abel/Getty

Graig Abel/Getty

Born March 10, 1980, in Princeton, British Columbia, Peat began his career at 15 years old and played for five years in Canada’s Western Hockey League. He was drafted third overall in the 1995 WHL bantam draft, perHockey Draft Central. He later played for the Red Deer Rebels, Tri-City Americans, and Calgary Hitmen, perSports Net. During his WHL tenure, he scored 11 goals and made 36 assists in 203 games.

The NHL veteran joined the league in 1998 after the Anaheim Ducks drafted him with the 32nd overall pick. He then spent a year with the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League (AHL). Peat was traded to Washington, where he played for the Capitals from 2001 to 2005 and made eight goals and two assists in 130 games.

Peat ended his professional career after one game with the Albany River Rats, a former AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, in 2006.

At the time, Peat and his father, Walter, were concerned the NHL player could suffer an early death like other NHL enforcers.

Stephen Peat at MCI Center on October 30, 2002 in Washington, DC.Mitchell Layton/Getty

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The next year, in November 2017, Walter sought out a no-contact order put in place against his son. In theNew York Times' 2017 follow-up to the 2016 piece, Walter described his son as a violent man who was experiencing severe headaches, which Walter theorized was due to Stephen’s NHL tenure.

Peat refuted the allegations, telling theTimes, “I am disappointed in my father since I once held him so high on a pedestal.”

source: people.com