The Matador – Remembering Anaheim Ducks Defenseman Steve Montador

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Let’s take a look back at the life of former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Steve Montador and see what we can learn.

Steve Montador was not drafted by any NHL team. He was never assured of a spot on any of the teams he played on, including the Anaheim Ducks. That may have been his Achilles heel. Montador had to be available if he could crawl to the ice. He may have dragged himself back too early too many times.

Early Years

Steve “The Matador” Montador was a good defenseman in Canadian major junior hockey. He played four seasons on three different teams, posting 174 points in 251 games. He led defensemen on his team in scoring his final season with 56 points. Those are decent numbers for a defenseman at that level. Montador, however, went undrafted by all 26 NHL teams.

The NHL

The young defenseman was destined to play hockey at the highest level. Even if no team originally wanted him. He signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent, then he spent parts of four seasons with their AHL affiliate.

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He eventually became a regular NHL defenseman with the Flames. His high point with Calgary, and likely in his career, was in Game 1 of the 2004 Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks. He scored the game-winning goal late in the first overtime period in a series the Flames would eventually take in six games. All totaled, he played in 20 of Calgary’s 26 games that postseason. NHL life never got better for The Matador than it was on that run.

Montador moved on to play a few seasons in Florida before signing with the Anaheim Ducks before the 2008-09 season. His time as a member of the Ducks was short, sticking around for only 65 games. Montador was subsequently traded to the Boston Bruins for the less-than-memorable Petteri Nokelainen. He played for three more NHL teams before his time in the league came to an end.

The End

2013-14 was Steve Montador’s last as a pro. He played 11 games for in the KHL, a common ending for an undrafted player. Montador beat the odds, he played 571 games in the NHL. Not bad for an overlooked defenseman.

Like many players, Montador struggled with his transition from professional sports. Things were extremely hard for the Matador after his career ended. He suffered from depression, memory loss, and a lack of impulse control. These are all symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). They’re usually accompanied by substance abuse.

Let’s break down the words on CTE. “Chronic” means persisting for a long time or constantly recurring. “Traumatic” means relating to or denoting physical injury. “Encephalopathy” is a term that means brain disease, damage, or malfunction. So CTE can be thought of as a long-term brain disease caused by injury.

For Steve Montador, the symptoms of CTE led him to an early end. He was 35 years old when he was found dead in his home. A mixture of drugs was found in his system. Sadly Matador’s son was born four days later, never meeting his father.

The Denial

The NFL has officially acknowledged that the repeated head injuries its players suffer cause CTE. It’s pretty obvious. According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, “CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma.”

One would expect the NHL to acknowledge the constant brain trauma that their players experience is a cause of CTE. They will not admit that. In fact, they don’t want to talk about it publicly. Instead, we see players hitting opponents in the head on a nightly basis.

Occasionally a suspension is handed down. You can ask ironman Anaheim Ducks Andrew Cogliano about his game of roulette last season with the Department of Player Safety (DPS). Somehow the league continues to deny its responsibility for this deadly condition, as you can see on this episode of Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel.

The Impact

Steve Montador’s death sent shock waves throughout the NHL community. He was very popular with his peers. Touching tributes popped up on the internet. Montador’s friends wore their emotions on their sleeves. No one was more emotional than his friend Daniel Carcillo. He released a video with his reaction to Montador’s death. It was touching to see a tough guy like Carcillo broken and saddened by his friend’s passing.

Carcillo followed up his original article in The Players’ Tribune with another article about his retirement and his Stanley Cup win that season. Although both should have been celebrations, Carcillo spent a majority of the article talking about his friend, Steve Montador. Putting his words into action, he started the Chapter 5 Foundation to help players transition into a normal, healthy life after hockey.

The Response

Mental illnesses have become less stigmatized over the past few years. Most of us realize depression and anxiety, among other mental illnesses, are chemical in nature. They’re also very treatable in this day and age.

The fact is mental health issues need to lose their stigmas altogether. If you need help, get help now. If you see someone starting to falter, get them medical attention immediately. Next time one of your Ducks takes someone’s head off with a head hit or a punch to the face, stop for a moment before you cheer wildly. Think about what you’re condoning.

Hitting must stay in the league. However, hits to the head must be eliminated. Toughness has to stay in hockey. Players must take a more active role in their own health. They have to stop coming back from head injuries too early.

Next: Updates on the Ducks top prospects

Teams have to stick together; but when a teammate crunches an opponent in the cranium, that team needs to support DPS’ decision to punish their teammate. We need our heroes to live happy lives after they’re done making us happy.