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Jordan

RIP Peter Zezel

By Jordan, in NHL Discussions

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Jordan    13

Jordan
Posted

Former Maple Leaf Peter Zezel was close to death last night at a Toronto hospital after battling a serious blood disorder.

Zezel, one of the most popular Leafs in the club's success in the early 1990s and a 15-year NHLer, was admitted last week for scheduled surgery, but those close to the family say complications developed and his conditioned worsened.

BLOOD DISORDER

It is known that Zezel, 44, has fought the rare blood disease hemolytic anemia on and off the past 10 years, and had been in critical condition in 2001. But in recent years he seemed to have recovered and been able to lead a normal life.

He played briefly the past couple of years for the Serbian White Eagles in the Canadian Multicultural Hockey League, operated a well-known hockey school and coached in the Don Mills Flyers organization, in which he had begun playing in the old MTHL.

Doug Gilmour, whose son Jake is coached by Zezel on the Don Mills peewee team, was among many former Leafs informed yesterday that Zezel was very ill, but deferred to the family for comment.

Don Mills Flyers president Peter MacInnis also cited family privacy about Zezel's health. The Don Mills roster of Zezel's team also includes the nephew of ex-Leaf Nick Kypreos and Zezel's own nephew.

Zezel was born in Toronto and played his junior hockey for the Marlies before being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers 41st overall in 1983.

Zezel played for seven NHL teams, but speaks fondly of his days at home with the Leafs and Marlies. He recalls looking at faces around Maple Leaf Gardens and seeing almost every culture. "Putting on the Leafs sweater, you realized we represented the whole diverse community of Toronto," Zezel said a few years ago.

He retired in 1999 after being unable to work a trade from Vancouver to an Eastern team, to be closer to a terminally ill relative.

LANCE.HORNBY@SUNMEDIA.CA

Toronto Sun article/ Peter Zezel

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DarkStar50    679

DarkStar50
Posted

#25 was a heart and soul player. Zezel always played within the role his team assigned to him. He never seemed to really get the full recognition due to him in the prime of his career.

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Judge Smails    4

Judge Smails
Posted

a great Zezel story:

when he was playing in St. Louis during Brett Hull's last season here, Hull was having a monster game and the crowd at the then Kiel Center (now Scottrade) was chanting "sing Hull, sign Hull" - after the game when reporters asked Hull about the crowd chanting for his extension, Hull replied "I thought they were chanting "Ze Zel, Ze Zel" and Zezel, sitting next to Hull in the dressing room about fell off his chair laughing.

Rest In Peace Peter

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kovyperron5727    0

kovyperron5727
Posted
I was watching Youngblood a few days ago on YouTube and saw a comment that he died. I never realized he was in the movie

RIP Peter

I didn't know that either. Who does he play?

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Fury of One    6

Fury of One
Posted

Not sure of the name but the camera cuts to him and Steve Thomas in the locker room when the coach is giving his speech before the Thunder Bay game.

Courtesy of IMDB: Peter Zezel - Rossini, Mustang Player#1

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fifthlinegoon    0

fifthlinegoon
Posted
Not sure of the name but the camera cuts to him and Steve Thomas in the locker room when the coach is giving his speech before the Thunder Bay game.

Courtesy of IMDB: Peter Zezel - Rossini, Mustang Player#1

He's the guy who the coach sends in to replace youngblood for the final face-off opposite racki.

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