Former college hockeyplayer Chad Demers tragically passes away at just 33 years old

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Sam Hutch
October 4, 2024 (8:55 PM)

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This is one of those articles that you never want to write, a former college hockey player has tragically passed away at a young age.

It's always sad when a young person passes away due to a long standing illness, but one thing hockey players are, even when one tragically Loses a battle to cancer

According to Hockey World Wide on instagram, former NCAA hockey player Chad Demers has passed away after a 6 year battle with cancer at the age of 33.

Chad was so much more than a coach for us, Augustana head coach Garrett Raboin said. He was a brother, a husband, a father. Those are the things that were most important to him. He just cherished his wife and kids. That's what makes this so hard.

Demers was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and stayed working in hockey while fighting the most important battle of his life.

Demers was most recently an assistant coach with division one school Augustana University, a position he had held since late summer 2023.

As always, people in the community are shocked and saddened by the passing of a valued member in the community.

Chad was one of my best friends for over 30 years, childhood friend Kody Stark said. Through all of his struggles the past six years, he still always asked me how I was doing, how my family was. It was never about him. Everything was for the people he loved. You won't find one teammate, player he coached - or coach he coached with - that wouldn't say he was the smartest hockey mind in the room, even with his illness. He was the greatest Spoiler of all-time. I'll remember him always

Our thoughts go out to the Demers family, his wife, children and friends.