Tragic life and death of NHL player Stephen Peat: Tormented 44-year-old lived in his truck and pleaded guilty to arson during the turbulent post-hockey career, while his father blamed the league

Six years before his tragic death, former NHL player Stephen Peat expressed his feelings in a harrowing way.

“I can’t even describe it [the pain] right now,” he told CBC. “My head feels like it's falling off,” Peat said.

“But I'm fine. I mean, what can I do? Hopefully not die.”

Peat, 44, struggled with chronic headaches, addiction and depression – all symptoms associated with CTE – after playing 130 games in the NHL and sadly ended up homeless.

According to the AP, he died this week from injuries he sustained on August 30 when he was hit by a car while crossing the street.

Peat, looking into the camera, worked as an enforcer in the NHL and often fought against opponents

And while it's still not clear what led to his physical and mental health problems, his family and friends firmly believe his time as an enforcer (someone whose primary job is to tackle opposing team players) in the NHL and the resulting concussions are the cause.

Peat, who played in various NHL games for the Washington Capitals from 2001 to 2006, later struggled with painkiller and alcohol problems and also showed signs of memory loss.

He described to the New York Times how he was regularly prescribed Percocet during his career and how he “self-medicated” with prescription painkillers after his playing days. He also used cocaine and tried to combat his drug problems through detoxification.

After his final hockey career, during which he played one game in the American Hockey League in the 2006/07 season, Peat found work in various jobs.

He worked for a time as a bouncer and, by the time he spoke to The Times, had already found work as a landscape gardener.

But as headaches and anxiety became more frequent in his life, Peat found himself in legal trouble.

He was convicted of minor offenses such as driving without a license and uttering threats.

Peat reportedly succumbed to his injuries after being hit by a car while crossing the street

But things got much worse when he pleaded guilty to arson in 2016 – as well as “arson by negligence” – after burning down his father’s house in British Columbia, Canada.

Peat claimed the incident was an accident but said he pleaded guilty to “avoid the publicity of a trial.”

He avoided prison and received only one year of probation, but the incident left lasting scars.

“Part of me wanted to sit here and burn with this house,” Peat told the Times, “because I knew what the consequences would be of doing something like this and embarrassing myself like this. It wasn't my first tragedy in my life, you know?”

While Peat was in rehab trying to get his drug problem under control, his father realized that they needed to address the “root of his pain” and not just his addiction to pills.

Because Peat had a previous conviction for arson, health problems and no stable income, he had a hard time renting an apartment. In 2015, he said he spent most of his time sleeping in his truck or on friends' couches.

The former hockey player did indeed receive help from the NHL, as a representative reportedly reached out to him and referred him to a neurologist in Vancouver.

Still, his father blamed the NHL for not doing enough to help him, and Peat's family is said to have followed the class-action lawsuit against the NHL, which alleges the league withheld information about concussions.

The player himself also accused the league of “denying” reality.

“Hockey was the greatest thing in my life, but also the worst,” Peat told the Times.

“When I was playing, it was great, but what has come of it lately? My fellow enforcers have become statistics and the NHL is in denial. They are denying that the job I did even exists, even though I greatly sacrificed my quality of life, my well-being and my future by being there for my teammates in the present.”

Peat joins the likes of Derek Boorgard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien in the tragic list of enforcers who died an early death.

However, those who were close to Peat want to make sure he is not forgotten.

The Washington Capitals, his former team, sent “their deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Capitals player Stephen Peat. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”

His friend Howie Zaron had a simple request for the public when it came to remembering Peat, whose role as an enforcer often comes with a bad reputation.

“We just want to make sure people know that Peaty was a good person. People always want to focus on the issues, but he was a good person,” Zaron told The Province.

“He was a protector, he didn't like teammates being pushed around.”