Wade MacLeod, a former Northeastern men’s ice hockey forward who played professionally in North America and Europe, died of brain cancer Sept. 13, the Huskies announced on their website. He was 38. 

A native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, MacLeod played for the Huskies from 2007 to 2011. In his time at Northeastern, MacLeod secured 137 points in 149 games and appeared in two Beanpot finals.  

Before coming to Northeastern, MacLeod played two seasons with the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League, where he was assistant captain. 

After graduating from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business in 2011, MacLeod spent two seasons with the Springfield Falcons, then the American Hockey League, or AHL, affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was in his time with the Falcons that he collapsed during a game in 2013, prompting a CT scan which revealed a brain tumor. 

Throughout his battle, MacLeod expressed his determination to return to the ice. In a 2020 interview with the Northeastern Global News, he said he approached cancer “with a hockey player’s mentality, just one shift at a time, one day at a time,” refusing to allow the disease to prevent him from playing the sport he loved. 

After his initial diagnosis, MacLeod went on to play for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL and appeared in 104 East Coast Hockey League games, where he notched 108 points. He also spent time in Germany playing for the Rosenheim Starbulls, where he scored 61 points in 50 games, and for the Frankfurt Lions, where he scored 49 points in 49 games. 

MacLeod is survived by his wife, Karly MacLeod, and their two daughters.