5 years ago today the hockey world lost one of it's good guys.

It's crazy to think that 5 years have passed already.

While August 31st may not be an important day, for fans who however around my age it will forever be the anniversary of the death of former National Hockey League defenseman, and all around good guy Wade Belak.

His death, although never officially ruled a suicide, hit fans of the league particularly hard, not only because of Belak's generally jovial demeanor on the surface, but because his death followed a great deal of tragedy with the deaths of both Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien coming only a few short months prior to Belak's passing.

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We feel it's important to remember Belak not only because of who he was on how much joy he brought to fans of the sport, but also to continue to help raise awareness about the impacts of depression, something that by many accounts may have been a contributing factor, and mental health in general.

Rest in piece Wade, you may be gone but you are not forgotten.