Former Colorado Avalanche winger Marek Svatos, 34, died Saturday in Lone Tree. The team received word of his death and is expected to issue a statement Sunday morning.
Svatos’ death first was reported by Slovakian journalist and author David Puchovsky, who also is president of the Avalanche’s European fan club, Eurolanche.
Svatos was from Kosice, Slovakia, and was living in the Denver area with his wife, Diana, whom he met while playing with the Avalanche, and two children.
A seventh-round Avalanche draft choice in 2001, Svatos scored 96 goals in 316 games for Colorado from 2004-10, and also played briefly for Nashville and Ottawa in 2010-11, his final NHL season.