Silvertip Jordan Mistlebacher Found Dead At 19

[Redwic]

Tips' Mistelbacher dead at 19

From Heraldnet.com http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090113/SPORTS/701149791#Tips.Mistelbacher.dead.at.19

Herald staff

Tragedy has struck the Everett Silvertips as left wing Jordan Mistelbacher, who played parts of the past three seasons with the Tips, has died. A representative for the Tips confirmed Mistelbacher's death. No details about Mistelbacher's death were available Tuesday night. He turned 19 on Sunday.

Mistelbacher was reassigned last Saturday and was to join the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. In 26 games with Everett this season he had four goals, two assists and 41 penalty minutes. In his 96-game career with the Tips he had 14 goals and 13 assists.

[HAF]

That is a horrible tragedy. At 19 years old his life was really only beginning. My condolences to his family friends and teammates

[caps05]

That's a very tragic story to hear.

First, Mickey Renaud in the OHL, now Mistelbacher.

RIP Jordan.

[dagley]

Don't forget about Maniago :(

[LifelongChiefsFan]

What a terrible tragedy. It's always tough to find words for events like this. Godspeed Jordan. You'll be missed by many.

[Redwic]

From the Winnipeg Sun website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipeg/2009/01/14/8021551.html

Player bound for Winnipeg Saints dies
By Adam Wazny, SUN MEDIA

Last Updated: 14th January 2009, 10:53am
Jordan Mistelbacher, a player with the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, has died.

He was 19. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

"We just re-acquired him," Saints head coach Doug Stokes said this morning. "He played for us as a 16-year-old. He returned to us on Saturday and practised with us on Monday, but didn't show up to practice yesterday. Unfortunately we got the news that night. It was pretty stunning. I'm still in shock."

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Winnipeg-product, who just celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday, had been playing for the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips the last two winters. He had four goals and two assists in 26 games with the 'Tips this season.

[Tipped Off]

Family, team grieve for Silvertip found dead Tuesday

Mistelbacher had just turned 19

By Nick Patterson
Herald writer

EVERETT -- A family torn apart, a team left grieving. That's what was left in the wake of the death of Jordan Mistelbacher.

Mistelbacher, who spent parts of the past three seasons with the Everett Silvertips, was found dead in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Tuesday. He turned 19 on Sunday.

"I think we all can't believe it, it doesn't seem real," said Lynne Mistelbacher, Jordan's mother, from the family home in Winnipeg on Wednesday. "It seems like he should be walking through that door."

Everett's players were informed of Mistelbacher's death during a team meeting Tuesday night. The Silvertips had another meeting Wednesday morning at which the team's psychologist and minister were present, then participated in an informal skate in lieu of practice.

The Tips declined to comment beyond this brief press release:

"The entire Everett Silvertips organization is extremely saddened to hear of the death of one of its former players, Jordan Mistelbacher.

"Our sincere and deepest condolences go out to Lynne and Mark Mistelbacher, his brother Tyler, sister Brittany, and their family.

"We respectfully ask the media to afford our players some privacy as they go through the next few days of grieving for a friend and former teammate."

No one in the organization, including the players, was made available to the media Wednesday. A team spokesperson said members of the organization would comment today.

Mistelbacher, a 6-foot-2, 209-pound power forward who had four goals and two assists in 26 games for Everett this season, had been reassigned on Saturday to the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Mistelbacher practiced with the Saints on Monday. Lynne Mistelbacher said her son went out Monday night to celebrate his birthday with friends. He never returned home.

A Winnipeg police spokeswoman confirmed that police found a deceased 19-year-old male at a residence Tuesday, though she would not confirm his name.

The police spokeswoman said an autopsy was performed Wednesday, and that based on initial indications the death was not being considered suspicious. The police were still awaiting toxicology results, which might not be available for some time. Even when the tests are complete, by Manitoba law they do not have to be released to the public.

"All I know is he went out drinking and they think that had a lot to do with it," Lynne Mistelbacher said. "I guess he got sick and his friend laid him down. And when he went back to check on him, he was semiconscious and (the friend) called 911."

The legal drinking age in Canada is 19. The police did not take anyone into custody in connection with Mistelbacher's death.

The Mistelbacher family spent Wednesday mourning and remembering one of their own.

"We're just remembering about Jordan right now, how jolly he was, how he liked to joke, how he loved people and animals," Mark Mistelbacher, Jordan's father, said. "We're chuckling at times and crying at times. And we're remembering how much he loved playing in Everett, the fans and his billets (host families) and the players. I hope the players don't take it too hard, and play even stronger for him."

Mistelbacher was acquired by Everett in January 2007, when the Tips picked up his rights along with defenseman Dane Crowley from Swift Current in exchange for defenseman Eric Doyle.

Mistelbacher, who played for the Saints at the time, was called up by Everett for three games during the regular season and played in nine of the Tips' 12 playoff contests.

Last season as a rookie, Mistelbacher appeared in 67 games, scoring 10 goals with 10 assists.

This season, Mistelbacher was expected to be an impact player for the Tips. However, his season hit an early bump when he was sent home during the preseason for disciplinary reasons.

He returned to the team during the second week of the season, but found his playing time diminished. He played in just one of Everett's first seven games following the Christmas break before being reassigned.

At the time of Mistelbacher's demotion, Tips general manager Doug Soetaert said it was strictly a hockey decision and that past disciplinary issues did not play a factor.

Mistelbacher remained an affiliated player, which meant he could have been recalled by the Silvertips as an injury replacement.

"I think he was down in the dumps and wanted to turn things around and get his confidence back," Lynne Mistelbacher said. "The Saints really wanted him and he was excited about that.

"He loved Everett so much, he loved the guys on the team," Lynne Mistelbacher added. "I know he wasn't happy because he wasn't playing, and I told him he should be here. But he was really close to everyone there, I think it's why he stayed as long as he did."

[Tipped Off]

Jordan Mistelbacher, a junior hockey prospect who just returned to Winnipeg to finish the season with his hometown team, was found dead Tuesday morning.

Mistelbacher celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Winnipeg police said Mistelbacher was found inside a residence Tuesday morning, not in a snow bank as originally reported. According to people close to the scene, Mistelbacher had a fair amount to drink and eventually left the residence Monday night, but details of events after that are unclear.

NOT SUSPICIOUS

"The medical examiner has advised that there doesn't appear to be suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, however, there is still toxicology that has to be done," police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput said.

"He practised with us on Monday, but didn't show up to practice (Tuesday)," said Winnipeg Saints coach Doug Stokes, who called the family about Mistelbacher's absence late Tuesday night. "I'm still in shock."

After playing with the Saints in the 2006-07 season, Mistelbacher spent the last two winters with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League before being re-assigned back to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League on the weekend.

Prior to this season, the forward was suspended (and sent home to Winnipeg) for nearly a month by Everett after violating team rules at the end of August, but substance abuse wasn't given as the official reason for the discipline.

The Silvertips elected not to comment yesterday, but did issue a release offering support for Jordan's family. His brother Tyler played for Stokes last year and currently skates with the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Brett Gagnon, a former teammate in Everett and with the Saints, said a lot of players in town are having a hard time coming to grips with the news.

"I didn't believe it," said Gagnon, who tends goal for the Winnipeg Thrashers of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League. "He was fun to be around, but he wasn't an idiot. A lot of people liked him. He had a lot of friends."

Stokes didn't think Mistelbacher, who had six points in 26 games in Everett, was in a funk regarding his demotion.

"I'm sure there was some disappointment, but he was upbeat and happy to be back in Winnipeg," Stokes said. "He wanted to help us win a championship. Those were his last words to me on Monday."

A tribute site to Mistelbacher on Facebook had 978 members as of last night

[Tipped Off]

Winnipeg hockey player's death linked to alcohol

By: Gabrielle Giroday


The hockey medals sit piled on a coffee table at the Mistelbacher home, years of worn jerseys draped over couches with grieving family and friends huddled around.
There's a belated birthday cake sitting on a kitchen table that Lynne Mistelbacher won't get around to icing for her younger son.

On Tuesday afternoon, city police met with the woman and told her that her son, Jordan Mark Mistelbacher, was dead.

Family members are mourning a young man they described as remarkable, whose death, they say, is tied to the overconsumption of alcohol after he went out partying Monday night to celebrate his 19th birthday.

His body was found in a Southdale home Tuesday at noon.

The cause of his death is undetermined, said a Winnipeg police spokesman Wednesday, adding the death is being investigated by officers as non-suspicious.

Lynne Mistelbacher said Wednesday she believes her son's death is accidental.

She said Jordan had returned from Everett, Wash., to Winnipeg on Sunday to join the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Winnipeg Saints, adding the 6-2, nearly 220-pound teen had bright hopes for the rest of the hockey season.

"He was always trying to make us be proud of him," said Mark Mistelbacher, Jordan's father, who admitted he's in a state of shock.

The parents said they were devastated their previously healthy son -- who played hockey with Team Manitoba at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon -- is dead.

In 2005, Mistelbacher was a standout with the bantam Winnipeg Warriors when he was drafted by the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos. He was traded in 2007 to the Everett Silvertips and split the 2007-08 season between the Silvertips and the Saints.

He had four goals and two assists in 26 games this WHL season before being reassigned to the Saints on Saturday.

"He was going to start over," said Lynne, adding Jordan wanted more ice time and hoped to be part of a championship run with the Saints.

She said the family awaits more details of their son's death.

Jordan had previously suffered concussions, said Mark, while Lynne said the young man went out to city bars with friends the night he died.

However, they said, until the provincial medical examiner tells them the exact cause of death, it remains a mystery. Currently, toxicology tests are being done.

"We're waiting for the truth from them," said Mark. "We want to know."

On his birthday Sunday, Jordan spent hours in the Vancouver International Airport -- reassigned by the Silvertips after playing a portion of the season on right wing for the WHL club. Mark Mistelbacher said his son was excited to come back to his home town, especially since he is very close with his family, particularly 21-year-old brother, Tyler, also a noted city hockey player who previously played for the Saints.

"It feels like he's still here and he's going to walk through the door any minute, and he's not," said Jordan's 17-year-old sister, Brittany.

The Mistelbachers are a hockey family that knows both the bonuses and tolls of boys intimately involved in the game of hockey.

There are the carefully clipped newspaper stories proudly displayed of Jordan and Tyler on a garage fridge -- playfully nicknamed "The Mistel attack."

There are also piles of souvenirs to mark Jordan's achievements.

Junior hockey could be stressful, said Lynne, but other family members said Jordan had a remarkable sense of humour that led him to kid around with his siblings and friends. An outdoor and animal lover, Jordan was hailed by family as a natural athlete -- one they still can't believe is dead.

His death has sent shock waves through his large circle of friends.

By late Wednesday, nearly 900 people had joined a Facebook site created in his memory.

"No one could make a bunch of guys laugh like you could Jordy. Your skills on the ice were amazing but your magic in the room was one of a kind. No one can ever take away what you did in your short time," wrote one friend and former teammate.

Members of the Silvertips and Saints junior hockey clubs also expressed their grief Wednesday.

"It's almost impossible to describe how you feel. It's an empty, very empty saddened feeling," said Saints coach Doug Stokes.

A funeral will be held for Jordan this Monday at St. Bernadette Parish.



-- with file from Meghan Hurley

gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca

[1978giantsfan]

thats very sad to hear
hope your team can handle this tragic event
RIP jordan

[wheat_city]

legal drinking age is 18 in manitoba not 19

[rednex50]

Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec are all 18...that I know for sure. Not sure about Saskatchewan or Atlantic Canada.

[wheat_city]

sask and b.c are both 19 im pretty sure.... dont know why canada doesnt just stick with one legal age.

[Pete76]

Rest In Peace - Jordan...a life cut way too short!