NHL Community Unites in Support as Coach Faces Heartbreaking Loss of Wife After Long Illness

The hockey community is mourning the loss of Hannah Larsen, wife of NHL coach Brad Larsen, who tragically succumbed to cancer. Her passing comes over a year after Brad took a leave of absence from his role with the Calgary Flames to care for her as her illness progressed.

The news of Hannah’s death was announced by John Tortorella, former head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, during an ESPN broadcast. Brad Larsen, who previously played as a left wing in the NHL, served as an assistant coach under Tortorella before becoming the head coach of the Blue Jackets. In 2024, he joined the Flames as an assistant coach but stepped away in December to spend more time with Hannah and their children, Faith and Ty.

Both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames have expressed their sympathies to the Larsen family through heartfelt messages shared on social media.

Pascal Vincent, who took over Brad’s position with the Blue Jackets, also offered his condolences. “Yesterday, we received the terribly sad news of the passing of Hannah, wife of my friend Brad Larsen, after a long battle,” Vincent wrote on X. “My heart is broken for Brad, their two children, and all of Hannah’s family. Sending them all my love and deepest condolences.”

‘Yesterday, we received the terribly sad news of the passing of Hannah, wife of my friend Brad Larsen, after a long battle,’ he wrote. ‘My heart is broken for Brad, their two children, and all of Hannah’s family. Sending them all my love and deepest condolences.’

Hannah Larsen, the wife of NHL coach Brad Larsen, tragically died from cancer more than a year after Brad’s decision to take leave from the Calgary Flames amid her worsening condition

Brad Larsen, a Canadian-born former NHL left wing, served as an assistant and head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets before taking an assistant position in Calgary in 2024

A graduate of Georgia Southern University, Hannah is described as a ‘devout Christian,’ avid horseback rider, artist and someone who cared passionately about animal rescue. A web page from her alma mater claims Hannah was named the Miss East Georgia State College Scholarship Pageant winner in 1994.

She and Brad were married for 15 years, according to her obituary, which encouraged readers to donate to one of several shelters in central Ohio. In fact, Hannah spent years working with Save Ohio Pets, according to Tortorella’s charity, The John & Christine Tortorella Family Foundation.

‘The Larsen Family has supported us from the beginning,’ read a 2024 Facebook post from SAVE Ohio Pets. ‘They don’t just sponsor a clinic each year…they show up and put in the work. They bring snacks (we love snacks), shave matted dogs (we don’t like matted dogs), trim nails, pass out pet food, clean rooms, cuddle animals, and sometimes even take them home.

‘The cost to cover all of these services is WELL over $5000 so the fact that 100% of our April expenses have been covered allows us to exhale (like a BIG exhale), and reflect on how thankful we are to have friends like Brad and Hannah Larsen.’

The Larsen family has a private service planned for Hannah.

They previously gained some notoriety in 2019 following an emergency with then-7-year-old Ty.

As reported at the time by The Athletic, Brad was forced to rush from a practice in Detroit to an Ohio hospital after learning Ty had been kicked in the head by a horse on the family’s farm.

Hannah spent years working with Save Ohio Pets, according to Tortorella’s charity

Ty suffered a broken jaw but was able to recover after surgery.

‘An inch or two higher or to the side … it could have been so much worse,’ Larsen said. ‘An angel was looking after us.’

‘I’m telling you what … he’s gangbusters now,’ Larsen added. ‘Kids are resilient. He’s been a trooper.’

Brad’s run as head coach in Columbus also included time with Johnny Gaudreau, the NHL star who was struck by an SUV and killed with his brother as the two were biking along a country road on the eve of their sister’s wedding in 2024. 

The driver, Sean Higgins, has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter, reckless vehicular homicide and other counts. 

Gaudreau was honored by Team USA following their gold-medal victory over Canada in the Winter Olympics.