Longtime NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment died at age 53 on Wednesday, the NHL announced. The death reportedly occurred in Montreal, where Marchment had been serving as a scout for the San Jose Sharks ahead of this week's NHL Draft.
No cause of death has been announced.
Marchment, a 17-year NHL veteran, spent time with the Jets, Blackhawks, Whalers, Oilers, Lightning, Sharks, Avalanche, Maple Leafs and Flames over his playing career. Since 2007, he's served as a scout, among other positions, for the Sharks and their American Hockey League affiliate.
Mike Grier, who became the Sharks' general manager a day before Marchment's death, expressed how significant the loss will be for himself and his team.
"It's a sad day for me personally, a very sad day for our organization," Grier said, according to the Associated Press. "He meant a lot to a lot of people in our organization, our players, our staff – anyone who knew Brian, the type of man he was. He was just an honest, a down-to-earth, loving person who just cared about everyone. He had time for everyone in the building. Anyone he came across, he had time for. "
A former teammate of Marchment's with the Oilers in the late 1990s, Grier praised Marchment's work ethic and added his staff, after they collectively grieve, will aim to have the "best draft possible" in Marchment's honor.
"I gave them some time to regroup and have some time to themselves and process and grieve," Grier said. "I know 'Mush' – that's what he would say. He would want us to get back to work and do our best and have the best draft possible, so we'll get back to work. "
