Former Washington Capitals player Stephen Peat passes away at 44

We at Stars and Sticks are saddened to hear the passing of former Washington Capitals enforcer Stephen Peat. It was due to an accident and his life was cut short at 44.

Peat had 254 penalty minutes in 130 NHL games and the announcement came from the NHL alumni association. The Caps would post the following statement on social media

The Washington Capitals extend their heartfelt condolences to the family of former Capitals player Stephen Peat. Peat played 130 games in the National Hockey League, all with Washington from 2001-2005. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.

This enforcer was known for his grit and dawg mentality and he worked from the Caps AHL affiliate the Portland Pirates to the Caps roster in 2001-02. In 38 NHL games in his rookie season he had four points and 85 penalty minutes. He was orginally drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the second round of the 1998 NHL Draft at 32nd overall but his rights were traded to the Caps.

Peat would split time between the Caps and Portland as well as Hershey over the next few years, racking up 10 points and 234 penalty minutes in 130 games at the NHL level and seven points and 555 penalty minutes in games at the AHL level. Per HockeyFights.com, Peat was in 90 fights over the course of his career.

The NHL Alumni Association added the following:

In the wake of this tragic accident, Stephen will be helping to save numerous lives through organ donation. We send our deepest condolences to Stephen's family, friends, and former teammates during this difficult time.

Per The Province, the former NHLer was struck by a car just over two weeks ago in his native Canada. It added that he was hit by a car as he was crossing the croad at 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 30.