Former NHLer Brent Peterson passes away at 68

A former NHL player, associate coach and broadcaster for the Nashville Predators, Brent Peterson has passed away. 

On Friday, the Nashville Predators released a statement that Peterson had died after battling Parkinson’s Disease since being diagnosed in 2002, passing away at the age of 68. 

Most well known for his career as a coach and a broadcaster, Peterson played 11 years in the NHL, spending time with the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers, finishing with 72 goals and 213 points in 620 games. 

A native of Calgary, he later moved into coaching after his playing career, first as an assistant coach with Hartford under head coach Rick Ley. Following that stint, he joined the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks and spent seven seasons with the team, winning three division titles and the 1998 Memorial Cup. 

Upon Nashville’s expansion into the NHL in 1998, Peterson joined as an assistant coach on Barry Trotz’s bench, and remained a part of the staff until 2011, before becoming a broadcaster from 2014 through 2017.

“Brent was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2002 and not only personally battled the disease but started the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s in 2009 to support and enhance lives of people with Parkinson’s, their caregivers and families,” the Predators posted to social media. 

“True to Brent’s nature, he thought of others before himself up until his passing this morning. Brent loved a good laugh and lived with Parkinson’s for 23 years, facing every day with a smile and a joke, no matter what his battle brought to him that day.”

He is survived by his wife Tami, son Brad and daughter Kristen, as well as his legacy with the Predators and across the hockey world.

Added the Predators: “He will always hold a special place in the hearts of our Predators family and all who knew him across hockey and beyond.”