In sad news from the hockey world, longtime Boston Herald Bruins reporter Steve Harris has died after battling an illness, the paper announced Friday.

Harris first joined the Herald in 1976 and soon established himself as a mainstay on the Bruins beat. According to his bio page, Harris also put in some time covering the Red Sox and worked seven Olympics as well.

Per the Herald, Harris is survived by a wife and two sons.

“Steve was a gentleman first and foremost, but also a man who was dedicated to hockey and to the Herald,” Herald sports editor Sean Leahy said. “It’s a devastating loss for us at the Herald, but our hearts are especially broken for his wife, Kathy, and Steve’s two sons.”

Harris’ most recent Herald byline came less than three weeks ago, on a “midseason report card” for the Bruins.

The NHL public relations twitter account tweeted about Harris on Friday, calling him a “journalistic pillar,” praising his “dogged reporting, deft writing and determination to get the story right.”

Numerous reporters who worked alongside Harris also mourned him Friday morning.

Our thoughts go out to Harris’ family and friends, as well as to the Herald staff.

[Boston Herald]

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.