It’s hard to function, much less go to work, much less entertain thousands of fans while being hit by waves of grief. Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour is doing his best.

He took a leave of absence Oct. 18 to be with his family. Two days later, his older brother Cameron passed away.

“I’m very proud, very happy to be his brother,” an emotional Brandon said Saturday in the Kraken locker room. “Somebody that I’ve looked up to since, obviously, Day 1. And a great son, brother, best friend.”

Cameron was 34. In addition to his parents and brothers, he leaves behind wife Chelsey, two young daughters and a stepdaughter.

“Miss him,” Brandon said. “He’s probably smiling and chirping me up there, for crying.”

Brandon said that for more than three years, Cameron lived with ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. According to the ALS Association, most people with ALS eventually lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy after an ALS diagnosis is about three years.

The average age at diagnosis is 55, but according to a GoFundMe set up for his family, Cameron was only 31 when he started noticing a twitching in his right arm and hand, which didn’t stop even as he slept. He gradually lost strength and fine motor skills. Because he was so young, the symptoms were misdiagnosed.

Brandon told the Empty Netters podcast that Cameron wasn’t able to make it to Florida to see him play in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. According to the GoFundMe, Cameron was hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs and watched Brandon lift the Cup from his hospital bed. They Facetimed quickly from the ice after the Panthers won Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1. A few weeks later, Cameron was formally diagnosed with ALS.

“It put everything in perspective, with the highs that I’ve had in the last couple of years,” Brandon said. “With winning (the Cup) and hockey and having babies and creating my own family. He was at home battling.”

On July 24, Brandon brought the Cup home to Hamilton, Ontario and nearby Ohsweken, a village within the reserve of Six Nations of the Grand River. After a parade, Brandon’s family got to enjoy the Cup privately, and Cameron was smiling in pictures.

Eventually Cameron and his wife moved in with his parents.

“When it happened, he was smiling and he was ready,” Brandon said. “So, again, proud of him.

“The family’s having a tough go. Obviously, (when) you lose one so close. To have everyone together for the week was good.”

The Kraken kept the matter private and played on.

“Clearly, our hearts have been with him and our support has been with him, and we’re going to have to continue to support him through this time,” coach Lane Lambert said.

“Obviously, it’s important to have him back, not only as a player, but certainly as a leader. Important for him to get back into the groove of the game and maybe take his mind off the outside part of it.”

Montour had that opportunity Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers. He was activated from the non-roster list and Cale Fleury was the extra defenseman at morning skate.

Jared McCann (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, even though Lambert said he was still day-to-day. It was done in an effort to manage the 23-man roster, he said.

What do you say to someone who is deep in grief? It’s hard to know, and it can be awkward, which Montour acknowledged. But everyone reached out to make sure he knew they were there.

“The guys have been great,” he said of his Kraken teammates. “It’s a good group (as far as) realizing that there’s things outside of the game that are important.

“I just needed time. I still need time. This is going to be a long process. But happy to be back.”

Kate Shefte: 206-464-8245 or kshefte@seattletimes.com. Kate Shefte is a sports reporter covering the Kraken, PWHL Seattle and other area sports for The Seattle Times.