Wade William Belak (né Aadland; July 3, 1976 – August 31, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman.

He played for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Belak made his WHL debut with the Saskatoon Blades as a 16-year-old during the 1992–93 season, getting no points in seven games, along with 23 PIM.

He made the Blades as a full-time player in 1993–94, scoring four goals and 17 points in 69 games, while recording a team high 226 PIM.

[1] In 1994–95, Belak appeared in all 72 games, scoring four goals and 18 points, while finished fourth in the league with 290 PIM.

He returned to the Blades for the 1995–96 season, scoring three goals and 18 points in 63 games, while getting a team high 207 PIM.

He made his NHL debut during the 1996–97 season with the Colorado Avalanche on December 21, 1996, getting no points in a 6–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He made his Calgary debut on March 27, 1999, as Belak had no points in a 2–1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes.

At the conclusion of the regular season, Belak was sent back to Saint John for the playoffs, where he had an assist in six games, along with 23 PIM.

[citation needed] Belak spent the entire 1999–2000 season in the NHL, where he appeared in 40 games with Calgary, recording two assists and a team high 122 PIM.

He suffered a shoulder injury on February 10, 2000 against the Colorado Avalanche that caused him to miss six weeks of action.

[citation needed] Belak made his Toronto Maple Leafs debut on February 17, 2001, getting no points in a 5–5 tie against the Colorado Avalanche.

Belak played in 63 games with Toronto during the 2001–02 season, scoring a goal and four points, while recording 142 PIM, which was second to Tie Domi on the team.

Belak returned to the Maple Leafs for the 2005–06 season, as in 55 games, he had three assists and 109 PIM, second highest on the team.

In 2006–07, Belak appeared in 65 games with Toronto, getting three assists and 110 PIM, again finishing with the second highest penalty minute total on the Leafs.

[3] Belak made his Predators debut during the 2008–09 season, as on November 28, 2008, he suited up against the Atlanta Thrashers, earning no points.

His death was the third in a series of NHL players found dead in a four-month span, following Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien.

[17] Following his death, he was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma.