Senators’ assistant coach Mark Reeds has lost his battle with cancer.
After leaving the team last month because of the return of the illness, Reeds was hospitalized in Ottawa on the weekend and passed away early Tuesday morning. He had surgery for the cancer last summer and had returned to his post behind the club’s bench before being forced to leave the Senators in early March.
The Senators will be playing with heavy hearts when they open their playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night with Game 1 at the Bell Centre. Reeds was only 55.