lit a candle 3h agoHe spoke his truth about deep brain stimulation when a lot of people wouldn't. That took guts. The Peterson Foundation didn't exist by accident.
Their story
Brent Ronald Peterson was a Canadian ice hockey forward, coach, broadcaster, and Parkinson's disease advocate whose career stretched from a first-round NHL draft pick to the founding staff of the Nashville Predators and a foundation that raised millions for people living with the disease. Known throughout Smashville as "Petey," he…
Brent Ronald Peterson was a Canadian ice hockey forward, coach, broadcaster, and Parkinson's disease advocate whose career stretched from a first-round NHL draft pick to the founding staff of the Nashville Predators and a foundation that raised millions for people living with the disease. Known throughout Smashville as "Petey," he spent more than two decades turning a private diagnosis into public help.
Peterson was born on 15 February 1958 in Calgary, Alberta. He starred in junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings and then the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, where high-scoring seasons made him a top prospect. The Detroit Red Wings selected him twelfth overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. A broken leg cut short his first NHL season after five games, but he returned to establish himself as a reliable defensive forward.
Early in 1981 - 82 Detroit traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in a six-player deal centered on Mike Foligno and Danny Gare. In Buffalo he found his NHL identity on a checking line with Craig Ramsay and Ric Seiling, becoming a trusted penalty killer and face-off specialist. In 1982 - 83 he set career highs of 13 goals and 37 points. The Vancouver Canucks claimed him in the 1985 waiver draft; he contributed to a sharp drop in goals against and scored a career-high three shorthanded goals in 1985 - 86. Hartford claimed him in 1987. He finished his playing career in 1989 with 72 goals, 141 assists, and 213 points in 620 regular-season games, plus eight points in 31 playoff games.
Coaching followed immediately. Peterson spent two seasons as an assistant with the Whalers under Rick Ley, then returned to Portland as head coach of the Winter Hawks. Over seven seasons he won three division titles. In 1997 - 98 Portland went 53 - 14 - 5, won the WHL championship, and captured the Memorial Cup as Canadian junior champions. Barry Trotz then brought him to Nashville as associate coach of the expansion Predators. Peterson remained behind the Predators bench from the franchise's first game in 1998 until 2011, first as assistant and later as associate, staying with Trotz through the club's early years.
Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002, he kept coaching for nearly a decade before stepping down for health reasons. In 2009 he and his wife, Tami, founded the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson's (PFP) to support patients, care partners, and families through awareness, education, and community programs. Annual staples such as Petey's Preds Party and the Brent Peterson Golf Classic, tied to the Predators Foundation calendar, helped raise millions of dollars. He later worked as a Predators adviser and, from 2014 to 2017, as a radio color commentator alongside Pete Weber, including the memorable 2016 triple-overtime call when Mike Fisher scored against San Jose.
Peterson was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the brother of former CFL defensive back Greg Peterson. He is survived by Tami and their children, Brad and Kristin. On 11 September 2026 he died at age 68 after living with Parkinson's for 23 years. Even in his final hours, Petey's Preds Party was livestreamed to his hospital room so he and his family could see the Bridgestone Arena celebration one last time. The Predators, NHL, and his former clubs remembered a checking-line specialist who became one of Nashville hockey's most beloved advocates.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); NHL.com / Nashville Predators; Hockey-Reference; Deseret News; ESPN.
In their own words
“It's a lot of fun, it's a lot of work, it's a lot of stress, but we want to do these things. We want to raise as much money as we can, to help as many people as we can.”
On the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson's fundraising events, quoted by the Nashville Predators (2025/2026)
“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend Brent Peterson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and all those who knew Petey.”
Nashville Predators official statement, 11 September 2026
Photos
2Brent Peterson in a late-1970s Detroit Red Wings postcard
Jan 1978 · by People Forever
Brent Peterson 1988 Hartford Whalers trading card
Jan 1988 · by People Forever
Same. He never forgot where he came from either.