Eide began writing about hockey in Seattle in 2012, when he began covering the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. When Seattle was awarded an NHL franchise Dec. 4, 2018, Eide moved to NHL coverage for NHL.com, the official Kraken website, Seattle sports and the Sound of Hockey.
Eide suffered a brain bleed (stroke) on March 18 before the Kraken played the Edmonton Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. He had been hospitalized since then.
Eide's brother, Chris, revealed the news of Andy's death on a webpage he had been using to post updates.
"If you knew Andy, you knew his laugh - it filled the room and always made you feel good. We are heartbroken to have been unable to talk with him or hear him laugh these past few weeks, but we are grateful we were able to hold his hand and say our goodbyes. He was a wonderful man, brother, son, uncle, and friend. He will be missed greatly. Please don't take your loved ones and friends for granted - give them a call, or a hug, and check-in.
"Andy passed away peacefully today at Harborview Medical Center."
In addition to writing about hockey, Eide also had a hockey podcast, appeared on Seattle Sports broadcasts and was a TV analyst for the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds tweeted about Eide, saying his death was "an unimaginable loss to our community.
"Andy Eide was a force with growing our sport, he was dedicated to covering hockey and simply loved being around the game. Andy, you made hockey better in the PNW. You will be missed."
Eide covered every Kraken home game for NHL.com since they entered the League last season. He also provided offseason coverage of the team.
"We are so sorry for the loss of Andy," NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price said. "I met him at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver and in addition to being such a nice person, he was so excited for the Kraken to join the NHL. This is a heartbreaking loss for Seattle hockey fans and hockey fans everywhere."
Chris Eide asked that in lieu of flowers, "please consider donating to the Neurology Research Department at
Harborview/UW
."
Photo courtesy: Seattle Kraken
