Veteran NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment dies at 53

MONTREAL The hockey world mourned former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment as he gathered for his general manager meetings and the annual draft in Montreal.

The former Scarborough Maple Leaf died Wednesday. He was a scout for the San Jose Sharks and was in town for the draft on Thursday and Friday. The cause of death has not been announced.

« It’s a very tough day for our staff, » said new Sharks general manager Mike Grier, a former Marchment teammate. « These guys, your scouts, you spend a lot of time together on the road and in meetings, so it was a very emotional, very tough day for the group.

« It’s a sad day for me personally, a very sad day for our organization, our players, our staff. Anyone who knew Bryan knew what type of man he was. He was just an honest, down-to-earth person. – down to earth and loving who cared about everyone. He had time for everyone in the building; everyone he met, he had time.

« He was great with me my early years in Edmonton, treated me with respect right away and made me feel at home and if I ever needed anything, whether it was dinner, a home-cooked dinner, instead of eating out every day, he and (his wife) Kim would invite me over. It’s a very difficult day.

Marchment spent 17 NHL seasons with nine teams, including 2003-04 in Toronto.

« We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bryan Marchment, » the Leafs tweeted. « Our hearts go out to his entire family. »

His son, Mason, also a former Leaf, has spent the past two seasons with the Florida Panthers. Marchment is also survived by his wife, Kim, and daughter, Logan.

He was a hard-nosed defender, named one of the game’s baddest by the Bleacher Report. Selected by the Jets with the 16th pick of the 1987 NHL Draft, Marchment played in 926 games, scoring 40 goals and adding 142 assists. He racked up 2,307 penalty minutes, including 106 in his only season in Toronto.

“Just tragic,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said as he walked out of league general manager meetings.

« I’m in shock and obviously thinking of (his son) Mason and his family, » Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes told NHL.com. “This is terrible news. We just sat there for the first half hour trying to digest it.

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who played with Marchment in Toronto in the 2003-04 season, said, “Brian was a really good friend and a great teammate. It’s just devastating, as we all know.

Marchment was the second ex-Leaf to die in the past two weeks. Jim Pappin, credited with the last Stanley Cup winning goal for the Leafs, died last week. Pappin played five seasons for Toronto in the 1960s and was named one of the 100 greatest Leafs of all time.

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