The Brief

Brandon Montour is back with the Seattle Kraken after missing the last four games on a leave of absence.

Montour’s older brother, Cameron, died on Monday after a multi-year battle with ALS.

“It was a rough week,” Montour said through tears on Saturday morning. “I’m very proud, very happy to be his brother.

SEATTLE – Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour is back with the team after a leave of absence as his older brother, Cameron, passed away on Monday after a multi-year battle with ALS.

“It was a rough week,” Montour said through tears on Saturday morning. “I’m very proud, very happy to be his brother. Somebody that I’ve looked up to since, obviously, day one. A great son, brother, best friend, father. He’s got two baby girls. He battled hard. You’ve got to put everything into perspective with the highs that I’ve had the last couple of years with winning (the 2024 Stanley Cup with Florida) and hockey and having babies and creating my own family. He was at home battling. Right till Monday, when it happened, he was smiling. And he was ready.

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“Proud of him.The family is having a tough go, obviously. You lose one so close, but to have everyone together for the week was good. Being back here in Seattle and seeing my kids and being part of this again, keep my mind off other things, which will be good. But miss him. He’s probably smiling and chirping me up there for crying, but I love him. And yeah, it was a tough week.”

Montour missed the last four games for the Kraken after leaving the team following their 4-3 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators last Thursday. The Brantford, Ontario native returned home to be with his family as his brother neared the end.

“Clearly, our hearts have been with him, the support has been with him. We’re going to have to continue to support him through this time,” Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said. “It’s important, obviously, to have him back, not only as a player, but certainly as a leader. And important for him to get back into the groove of the game, maybe take his mind off of it a little bit of the outside part of it. We feel for him and we’ve supported him and will continue to support him.”

Montour said all of his teammates reached out to him over his time away and were sympathetic to his loss.

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“The guys have been great,” he said. “It’s a good group with realizing there’s things outside of the game that are important. I needed time, I still need time. This is going to be a long process, but happy to be back.”

Montour was looking forward to being back with the Kraken in Seattle. Getting a chance to return to hockey will give him an opportunity to distract himself with something else to focus on.

“Yeah, it’s good. It keeps my mind away from other things,” Montour said.

Montour was sidelined for most of training camp with the Kraken after having surgery to address ankle bursitis. He jumped back into Seattle’s lineup for their season opener against the Anaheim Ducks and delivered the play of the game, winning a puck off Troy Terry in the defensive zone to spark a rush up ice. Montour out-muscled Terry to turn the corner toward the net and found a charging Mason Marchment for a finish by Lukáš Dostál for a 2-1 Kraken lead.

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Montour played in four games for Seattle before his departure last week, recording four assists in four games – including a two-assist night in his last game against Ottawa.

“You just look back… I’ve only practiced once or twice all year and missed a lot, so try to get back into it as quick as I can,” Montour said. “I’ve been watching from afar. Happy with how the guys are playing. Just kind of add what I bring on the ice and off the ice and just keep plugging away.”

The Source

Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

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