On Wednesday, former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment died in Montreal at the age of 53, as confirmed to the Associated Press by his agent.
Marchment was acting as a scout for the San Jose Sharks while in Montreal at the NHL draft. The cause of death has yet to be announced.
“It’s a sad day for me personally, a very sad day for our organization,” Mike Grier, who was named general manager for the Sharks on Tuesday, said. “He meant a lot to a lot of people in our organization, our players, our staff — anyone who knew Brian, the type of man he was. He was just an honest, down-to-earth, loving person who just cared about everyone. He had time for everyone in the building. Anyone he came across, he had time for.”
“[Marchment] treated me with respect right away and made me feel at home, and if I ever needed anything, whether it was a dinner, a home-cooked dinner, instead of eating out every day, he and (wife) Kim would have me over,” he said. “It’s a very difficult day.”
Grier said that team employees would have to continue working at the draft in spite of the difficulty and loss.
“I gave them some time to regroup and have some time to themselves and process and grieve,” he said. “I know ‘Mush’ — that’s what he would say. He would want us to get back to work and do our best and have the best draft possible, so we’ll get back to work.”
“Mush” was a nickname for Marchment, used by teammates and friends.
The San Jose Sharks posted a statement on Twitter after the news broke. “We are heartbroken,” it read. “Our deepest condolences go out to Bryan’s family, friends and our Sharks community at this time.”
“Bryan’s lifelong love of hockey was unparalleled, and he was amongst the most dedicated, physical, and fiercest players to ever play the game. He spent more than 20 seasons with the Sharks organization — 334 games as a player and 15 as a member of the Sharks scouting department.”
“Most importantly, Bryan was a loving son, husband, and father. Our deepest condolences go out to his parents, his wife Kim and son Mason and daughter Logan,” the statement added.
Marchment had been working for the San Jose Sharks since 2006, when he retired from hockey. At the time of his retirement, Marchment had scored 40 goals and 182 points and was a first round pick for the Winnipeg Jets in 1987.
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