David Perron Leaves NHL and Ottawa Senators Indefinitely Due to Family Tragedy Involving his Wife
David Perron took a leave of absence effective immediately from the Ottawa Senators to deal with a personal tragedy involving his wife and unborn child.
David Perron, who signed a two-year contract with the Ottawa Senators this season, was meant to help bring a veteran mindset and leadership to a very young team and so far has performed admirably in his role. The former long-time St. Louis Blues forward has filled a bottom-six role for Ottawa and has no doubt helped their youth as they continue to prove they belong.
In a bit of tragic news, Perron will need to step away from the team indefinitely to attend to a personal matter involving his wife and unborn child. Vanessa Perron, David's wife, posted on her personal Instagram regarding the situation.
While in Toronto she got procedure to implant shunts (drain) in her lungs in vitro. We were lucky enough that most of the mass did shrink enough not to put her life in danger while I was still pregnant.
Im finally 37 weeks and that's a big milestone for our little warrior. She will most likely need to go under for a major open surgery at birth. The risks are big. As a mother it is a nightmare to know you are about to give birth and also know what she will have to endure in order to give her a chance to live. You want to keep her safe inside you, because at least she still there. I'm amazed at this new perspective in life. The sick kid parent. It feels very surreal. And it is probably one of the hardest things I've been thru.
I did not share it before because it's hard to give updates as I was trying to stay positive. We are now facing difficult moments for our family and I would like to ask for prayers. Our little Elizabeth will need it. I have hope. She's so strong already."
It's unbelievably sad for everyone involved, and Perron will be afforded the time off necessary to deal with this. This is bigger than hockey and both David Perron and the Ottawa Senators know that, and it's great to see the organization let him focus on what matters and get back to the game in due time.
For his career, Perron has played 18 seasons in the NHL spread across seven teams including the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Detroit Red Wings, and now the Ottawa Senators; registering 768 points in over 1100 career games.
We here at HockeyPatrol would like to send our best wishes and prayers to the Perron Family as they navigate this difficult time in their lives.
