Hamilton man sentenced to only 5 years for killing son of NHLer Barry Beck

Thomas Vasquez, a 23 year old Hamilton, Ontario man, has been sentenced to five years in prison for the stabbing death of Brock Beck, son of former NHL defenceman Barry Beck.

The younger Beck, just 20 years old, was stabbed in the abdomen by Vasquez following an altercation at a Hamilton house party in July, 2020. Beck later died in hospital.

"I didn't want to bring sorrow to your family or bring shame to my mine. This was a random encounter that should never have happened, and it was one of those situations that escalated quickly," Vasquez told the family, which included former NHL star Barry Beck, who retired from the sport in 1990.

According to the CBC, Vasquez and Beck had a verbal altercation from each other's vehicles. It's unclear what the argument was about, but Vasquez reportedly followed Beck and when Beck emerged from the vehicle a physical altercation broke out.

More from the CBC:

Beck drove to the driveway of a friend's house, the court heard, and the other vehicle followed him and pulled in behind him. At some point, Beck got a broken golf club from the trunk and hit Vasquez with it, and Vasquez drew a knife. It's not clear which happened first. Vasquez stabbed Beck twice in the abdomen — once on the left side, once on the right. The right stab wound damaged several organs. Police say they were called to 3063 Binbrook Rd. just before 2 a.m. ET. Beck later died in hospital.

- CBC Hamilton

Both men were reportedly intoxicated at the time of the altercation.

Vasquez had no prior criminal history and by all accounts he was remorseful for what he did. He plead guilty to manslaughter and has formally apologized to the Beck family on multiple occasions.

"He has no criminal record. He pled guilty, and he did not intentionally cause Mr. Beck's death," Vasquez's lawyer Dean Paquette said in court. Also, "he is profoundly remorseful for what he has done."

Earlier this month, father Barry Beck shared a post on social media that showed him receiving a tattoo of his son on his right arm.

Beck, now 64 years old, played 13 seasons in the NHL split between the Colorado Rockies, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings. He served as the Rangers' captain from 1981-1986. 

RIP Brock Beck. Gone, but never forgotten.