Marek Svatos, a former Colorado Avalanche forward, dies at the age of 34. Website Eurolanche, a European fan club of the Avalanche, first announced Svatos' death. Later, the team released an official statement.
Yahoo! Sports quoted what general manager Joe Sakic, who played with Svatos from the 2003-04 season through 2009-10, said: "The entire Avalanche organization is extremely saddened by this news. Marek was a tremendous person, a talented hockey player and a great teammate. Our thoughts, prayers and our deepest sympathy to his wife, children and his entire family."
Some of Svatos' former teammates in Colorado took to social media, particularly on Twitter, to pay tribute to the athlete. Matt Duchene tweeted, "Very saddened to hear of the passing of former Avalanche teammate, Marek Svatos. He was a great person and player." On the other hand, Craig Anderson wrote, "Very sad about the passing of Marek Svatos. He was a great guy and tremendous player - he will be missed by many."
The Denver Post said that Svatos died in Lone Tree, Colorado. He lived in the Denver area alongside his wife and two children. However, his cause of death has not officially announced or reported yet. The player, who is a native of Kosice, Slovakia, got chosen in the seventh-round of the 2001 NHL Draft by Colorado. Svatos obtained 32 goals and notched 50 points as a rookie in 2005-06 and finished in Calder Trophy voting that season.
His last season in the NHL was in 2010-11 when the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Svatos, split time with their game against Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators. Svatos had 172 points and 100 goals in 344 NHL games. His final pro season came in 2013-14 when he had 19 points in 26 games with HC Kosice in Slovakia. He also played 25 games in the KHL during his career. Svatos represented Slovakia at many international events, namely the 2002 World Juniors, the 2006 Olympics and 2010 World Championships.
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