Hundreds of people turned out to pay their respects to former Maple Leaf centre Peter Zezel at a Mississauga church on Friday morning.
Zezel died Tuesday at the age of 44, following complications from a rare blood disorder.
His service began at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, located near the intersection of Dixie Road and Dundas Street East.
A pair of Zezel's former Maple Leaf teammates told CTV Toronto that they had lost a true friend.
"It's a shock and we're all disappointed," Doug Gilmour said Friday.
"We all loved him and we just still can't believe it."
Wendel Clark recalled Zezel "a great guy" who had a zest for life.
"He loved playing the game, loved playing sports and he loved life," said Clark, who stayed with Zezel's parents during his first year in the NHL.
Former NHL coach Mike Murphy said Zezel represented the best of what the early 1990s Leaf squads were made of.
"He made the Maple Leafs of the early 90s what they were," Murphy said. "He was kind of symbolic of them, a hard-working, blue collar guy."
Former Maple Leaf Nick Kypreos said Zezel was a generous man who always gave back to the community.
Zezel spent 15 years in the NHL, including several seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Over his 873-game career, he scored 219 goals and collected 389 assists.
Following his professional career, Zezel operated hockey camps in Etobicoke.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Dana Levenson
