Wade Belak

Wade Belak is a professional ice hockey player. Wade Belak played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over two decades. Since his professional debut in 1994, he has been a fan favorite defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The athlete had also previously represented the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Coventry Blaze, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators.

Education, Family, and Childhood

Wade Belak was born under the sign of Scorpio on July 3, 1976, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

According to accounts, the NHL player was born at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Wade was also the son of Lorraine and Lionel Aadland.

His mother eventually married Barry Balek, and he adopted the Balek surname.

When Wade’s mother, Lorraine, remarried, he was only four years old.

They went to Battleford after his mother’s marriage lasted two years.

Balek began attending St Vital’s Catholic School when he was six years old.

He went on to Battleford Junior High and North Battleford Comprehensive High School after that.

Wade also has a younger brother, Graham Belak (born on 1 st August 1979).

His brother is an ice hockey player who was initially picked by the Colorado Avalanche.

He has only played for a few lower-tier leagues since being drafted in the second round of the 1997 draft.

Graham retired as a police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2006.

Facts of Wade Belak

Net Worth and Salary

Although the net worth of Wade Belak is unknown, he had career earnings of $8.6 million.

Furthermore, his average salary was $575,000 in 2010.

Hockey Resume

Balek started his career as a 16-year-old in 1992. He began his career with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League.

Balek played in only a few games during the first season and scored no points.

In the 1993-1994 season, though, he became a full-time player and began scoring.

In his second season, he appeared in 16 playoff games and 69 regular-season games. During his time with the team, he scored four goals and added 17 points.

Wade also entered the 1994 NHL Draft, where he was selected first by the Quebec Nordiques.

Avalanche of Colorado (Quebec Nordiques)

After relocating to Denver, Colorado, the Colorado Avalanche are the same team as the Quebec Nordiques.

Wade made his debut in the American Hockey League playoffs as the 12th overall pick.

He played in 11 playoff games in the 1994–95 season and just regular-season games in the 1995–96 season. Similarly, he made his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Similarly, Wade scored his first NHL point in a game against the Washington Capitals. Wade played 28 games for the Hershey Bears in addition to his time with Colorado.

Flames of Calgary

Wade was dealt to the Calgary Flames on February 28, 1999. In return for Theoren Fleury and Chris Dingman, he was traded alongside Rene Corbet and Robyn Regehr.

Initially, Wade played 12 games for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Saint John Flames. Wade made his debut for the Calgary Flames against the Phoenix Coyotes on March 27, 1999.

Following that, he scored his first goal for the franchise against the Phoenix Coyotes. After that, he joined the Saint John Flames for the playoffs.

Maple Leafs of Toronto

Belak joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 16, 2001, after being waived after the 2000 season. Wade made his NHL debut against his previous team, the Colorado Avalanche, the next day.

Wade scored his first career goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 25, 2001.

He also made his postseason debut the following season, in April, and scored the game-winning goal against the Islanders ten days later.

In addition, he had his most productive season in 2002-03, when he scored three goals in 55 games. Wade continued his career with the Coventry Blaze of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

He was named to the EIHL Second All-Star Team during his time in the league. Furthermore, he ended his 143-game scoreless streak against the Predators on December 4, 2007.

Panthers of Florida

Wade was traded to the Florida Panthers on February 26, 2008, after seven seasons with the Leafs.

Wade only played 27 games with the Panthers over his two seasons with the franchise.

Wade’s first game with the franchise was against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he went two seasons without scoring a point.

Predators of Nashville

On November 27, 2008, Wade was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nick Tarnasky. On November 28, against the Atlanta Thrashers, he recorded his first play for the franchise.

Wade maintained his top goal for the squad against his former team, the Colorado Avalanche, on December 8. Wade was placed on the waived list on February 25, 2011, after a couple of years on the line.

He was with the Predators for the games since no other team had claimed him. They then assigned Wade to the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals.

Wade retired as a player on March 8, 2011, after 14 years in the NHL, due to arthritis in his pelvis. Despite this, Wade remained a member of the Predators’ organization.

Suspension and Injuries

Wade, like everyone else, did not have an easy transition as an athlete. He had his share of injuries and setbacks that slowed him down.

Belak suffered an abdominal injury in a game against the Edmonton Oilers in 2003.

Following that, on January 6, 2004, he suffered a knee injury while playing against the Nashville Predators.

Belak has also been ruled out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to his careless stick handling.

Wade was suspended for eight games by the NHL in March 2004 after slashing defenceman Ossi Vaananen in the face with a wild two-handed slash during a game.

Wade stated that he was off-balance as the NHL stated their opinion and the punishment for Belak.

Death

Sports is such an industry that has fame and success lined alongside the constant mental and physical pain.

According to the sources, on August 31, 2011, Wade took his life in a condo at the One King Street West hotel in Toronto.

Many believed it to be an accidental death, but the Toronto police stated that the cause of his death was suicide.

Additionally, Wade’s family stated that he suffered from depression for a long time.

Before his death, Wade was reported to have a bright day and had even planned to hang out with his friends.

However, after the plan, he was found dead three hours later, at approximately 1:33 p.m.

While he was alive, no one could find his unseen battles inside, and thus, they settled with him, known as a happy man.

But who knew that the carefree hockey fighter was in distress? As many say, Wade had suffered the miseries of his trade.

CTE Diagnosis

Moreover, his wife, Jennifer, had opened up, stating that Wade suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (CTE).

Also, she noticed the shift in her husband’s behavior during the last years with the Nashville Predators as he would no longer handle his children’s noises.

Furthermore, he also started having declined in his memory, thus, needing him to make notes of everything.

Not to mention, even Michael Landsberg (Canadian sports journalist) stated that during his interview with Wade before his death, he had admitted to taking happy pills (anti-depressant) (anti-depressant).

Indeed, he had been using it for four to five years back then.

Besides, Michael revealed Wade was also working to reveal his condition to the public. Following it, P.J Stock suggested his death to be accidental and might not be a suicide, which Belak’s parents also agreed on.

However, Stock took back his words stating he didn’t know any other information about his death.

Overall, Wade’s death was the third suicide death among the sudden deaths of NHL enforcers.

Before him, Derek Boogaard, 28, and Rick Rypien, 27, had taken their lives. Indeed, all those deaths impacted a lot in the NHL.

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Personal Life, Wife, and Kids

Wade Belak was married to his wife, Jennifer Jordan Russell, on July 20, 2002.

Not much is known about his personal life and their love story.

As per Jennifer, Wade was a devoted man and a loving father.

The duo shared two daughters; Andie, born in 2004, and Alex, born in 2006.

They were both born in Toronto. Indeed, Wade’s death took a deep toll on Jennifer’s life.

Apparently, she heard the news of her husband’s death through his agent while picking up her kids from school.