Former Vernon Laker Ewen Dies At Age 49

Former Vernon Lakers forward Todd Ewen passed away over the weekend at the young age of 49.  Ewen played one season in Vernon (1982-83) playing in 42 games with the Lakers collecting (14-goals-10-assists-24-points).  Ewen was drafted in Round 8 168th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 NHL Draft.  Ewen played 11 seasons in the NHL from 1986-1997 playing with four different teams (St. Louis, Montreal, Anaheim & San Jose) winning the Stanley Cup with the Candiens.  Ewen played with Vernon Vipers Head Coach-GM Mark Ferner who also played in Anaheim with the Mighty Ducks from 1993-1995.

Todd Ewen also wrote and illustrated children’s books,

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-02/sports/sp-18101_1_todd-ewen

Todd Ewen's Player Profile:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=67262

This is posted on the Blues website:

Blues Statement on Passing of Todd Ewen

Sunday, 09.20.2015

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues and the Blues Alumni Association are mourning the death of Todd Ewen.

Blues Chairman Tom Stillman has issued the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Blue Todd Ewen. Todd was an outstanding individual who called St. Louis home and continued to devote much of his time to the game he loved. On behalf of the entire St. Louis Blues organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ewen family during this most difficult time."

Ewen played for the Blues from 1986 to 1990, appearing in 124 regular season games in St. Louis. He was nicknamed "The Animal" for his tough style of play, and he registered 10 goals and seven assists while collecting 493 penalty minutes as a Blue.

After an 11-year NHL career, Ewen made St. Louis his home and devoted himself to coaching youth hockey. He served as an assistant coach for Saint Louis University's hockey program in 2008 and took over as the team's head coach in 2009, where he remained until last year.

Ewen was also an active board member of the St. Louis Blues Alumni Association.

Brett Hull, who played with Ewen in St. Louis, tweeted "I was proud to call Todd Ewen a teammate and more importantly, a friend. Can't believe you're gone."

The Blues Alumni Association also issued a statement, saying "We respectfully send our most heartfelt condolences to Todd's family, friends, teammates and the players he coached, and ask for privacy as we all grieve during this difficult time."

This was posted on Yahoo Sports.com.

Police classify death of former NHLer Todd Ewen as suicide: Report

By Sean Leahy

Former NHL enforcer Todd Ewen died on Saturday due to what police are classifying as a suicide.

According to CTV Calgary’s Amanda Singroy, https://twitter.com/CTVAmanda/with_replies police say Ewen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She also Tweets that Ewen’s family said the 49-year old battled depression for years.

Tom Stillman, owner of the St. Louis Blues, Ewen’s first NHL team, released the following statement on Sunday:

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Blue Todd Ewen. Todd was an outstanding

individual who called St. Louis home and continued to devote much of his time to the game he loved. On behalf of the entire St. Louis Blues organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ewen family during this most difficult time."

Stu Grimson and Brett Hull, former teammates of Ewen's, expressed their condolences via Twitter:

Following his NHL career, Ewen set up roots in St. Louis coaching youth hockey and the Saint Louis University team until last year.

http://nhlalumni.org/2014/09/12/todd-ewen-slu-billikens-preparing-host-acha-division-ii-championship/

Said Grimson via text message to Puck Daddy:

"Todd was a good friend. He was a kind and caring husband to his beautiful wife Kelly and a wonderful father to their children. I knew him best as a teammate, willing to give of himself without reservation for the good of the group. He'll be missed."

Ewen was an eighth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 1984. He played 518 NHL games and recorded 1,911 penalty minutes with the Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and San Jose Sharks. He earned a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the 1993 Canadiens.