This from Nathan Eide, head blogger at SB Nation's Minnesota Wild blog, Hockey Wilderness. -Chris
Tim Allen of SBNation's Canis Hoopus lost his battle with depression on August 6, 2012.
Tim Allen was my friend. I met Tim through his covering the Timberwolves while I covered the Wild and our friendship grew through Twitter as well as in real life. Tim and I would exchange emails, Tweets and meet up on a regular basis to teach each other the game we loved and try to "convert" the other to a hockey/basketball fan. Tim was an effervescent man; soft-spoken, passionate, bright, inquisitive and joyful to be around.
The world lost a wonderful man. Please, if you are suffering from depression or other mental health issues, know that you are not alone. Reach out. Talk. If you suspect someone needs help, offer them a kind ear or a caring hand. If you are able please consider joining me in giving a donation in Tim's name to the Mental Health Association of Minnesota (http://www.mentalhealthmn.org) to help others facing mental health issues.
Many of you that are Minnesota Vikings fans are fans of the other Minnesota sports teams as well and, as a result, likely follow the SB Nation sites of those teams. By now, I'm sure many of you have already heard something about this, but yesterday we lost one of the truly up-and-coming talents in the world of Minnesota sports writing.
Tim Allen, who was one of the lead writers over at Canis Hoopus, lost his battle with depression yesterday at the far, far too young age of 29. At the present time, the details of his death have not been confirmed, and we hope that everyone will respect the privacy of his family at this time.
I did not have the pleasure of meeting Tim personally, but I was familiar with his work at Canis Hoopus and very much enjoyed reading his writings. His game previews, which always ended up with the Timberwolves winning despite them generally being the worst (or among the worst) teams in the NBA were highly entertaining and always good for a laugh. From reading his work and following him on Twitter, you knew just how passionate he was about Timberwolves basketball and how much time and effort he had put into his craft.
It's terrible to have to report something like this. To the family and friends of Tim Allen, know that hour hearts, our minds, and our condolences are with you today.
In the coming days, SB Nation will be putting something together for donations in Tim's name. We will bring you that information when we have it. There is also a remembrance thread over at CH where people are paying their respects to Tim.
Rest in peace, Tim Allen. May you find the peace and solace in the next life that, tragically, eluded you in this one.