The hockey world mourns the loss of a hockey innovator at 43: How Per Mars changed the game
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Skyler Walker
Mar 21, 2026 (12:14)
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Photo credit: Screenshot
Per Mårs, the Marsblade founder tied to Auston Matthews, has died at 43, and the hockey world just lost one of its boldest builders.
The news hit hard on Friday.
Mårs was more than a gear guy, he was one of those rare hockey minds who tried to change how players move.
He was drafted by the Blue Jackets and spent a long career in Sweden.
Marsblade confirmed his death after what the company described as a struggle with mental health.
That part stops you cold.
This is bigger than product talk or brand talk.
Mårs built his path after his own playing career ended because of a back injury in 2008.
He went back home to Östersund, Sweden, and started rethinking skate design from the ground up.
That idea turned into Marsblade.
It started with off-ice inline skates built to better mirror hockey movement.
Players noticed fast.
Connor McDavid, Evgeni Malkin, Brent Burns, and Aleksander Barkov were all linked to the product as it gained traction.
Per Mårs changed hockey beyond Auston Matthews
Fans can be cynical about hockey products, but this one earned real trust because players actually used it.
Auston Matthews did more than notice it.
He invested in the company, which says plenty about how much belief Mårs inspired around the game.
That is where the ripple effect lands.
When a player like Matthews backs an idea, it moves from niche training tool to something the hockey world takes seriously.
Mårs kept pushing after the first wave of success.
Marsblade later developed a patented skate blade holder aimed at changing on-ice performance too.
He was not chasing noise.
He was chasing feel, edge control, and a better way to train.
That is why this loss feels so heavy.
Hockey lost a creator, not just an executive.
His work touched stars, prospects, skills coaches, and players trying to stay sharp away from the rink.
That reach does not disappear overnight.
Per Mårs leaves behind real grief and a real mark on the sport, and hockey will carry both the next time players lace up and chase a better stride.
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