Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty ImagesFormer NHL player Todd Ewen died Saturday at the age of 49.
The St. Louis Blues confirmed the Canadian athlete's passing on Twitter but did not release a cause of death. On Monday, however, a spokesperson for the St. Louis County Police Department confirmed to E! News that Ewen's death was being investigated as a suicide and it appears that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This is still an active investigation but no foul play is suspected.
Per CTV anchor Amanda Singroy's tweets, Ewen's family members said he "was a loving husband & father," adding that he had "battled depression for years."
Blues Chairman Tom Stillman has issued the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Blue Todd Ewen. Todd was an outstanding individual who called St. Louis home and continued to devote much of his time to the game he loved. On behalf of the entire St. Louis Blues organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ewen family during this most difficult time."
According to the the team's release, Ewen played for the Blues from 1986 to 1990 and was nicknamed "The Animal" for his tough style of play. After Ewen's 11-year professional career, he became a youth hockey coach, serving as assistant coach from Saint Louis University's hockey program in 2009. He took over as the team's head coach in 2009 and remained in that position until 2014.
Per CTV, Ewen also wrote and illustrated children's books after retiring from professional hockey.
-Reporting by Holly Passalaqua