Longtime NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died. He was just 52 years old.
An NHLPA spokesperson confirmed the sad news with Daily Hive, saying that Simon passed away last night. Simon’s children and family are grieving the loss of their father, son, brother, friend, and teammate.
Born in Wawa, Ontario, Simon was one of the toughest players of his generation, compiling 1,824 penalty minutes in 782 career NHL games.
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- Tributes pour in for former Calgary Flames enforcer Chris Simon
Drafted 25th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990, Simon was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in 1992 as part of the famed Eric Lindros trade.
It was with Quebec that Simon broke into the NHL in the 1992-93 season, before becoming a member of the Colorado Avalanche in 1995 when the team relocated. He went on to play for the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Minnesota Wild.
Simon last played pro hockey in the 2012-13 season following six years in the KHL.
While he was known for his fists, Simon proved on numerous occasions that he also had skill. Simon scored a career-high 29 goals and 49 points with Washington back in 1999-2000, and scored 305 points during his NHL career. Simon also helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 1996 and went to the Cup Final with Washington in 1998 and Calgary in 2004.
Simon was a key member of the Flames during their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004, finishing tied for fourth on the team in playoff goals (5) that spring.
“Chris Simon was most definitely an intimidating guy on the iceā¦ hell of a player as well,” former Flames teammate Mike Commodore said in a post to X this afternoon. “We spent a lot of time together during Flames 04 run since we were both living in the hotelā¦ he couldnāt have been nicer to me. RIP Chris. You will be missed.”
Folksā¦sad day todayā¦Chris Simon was most definitely an intimidating guy on the iceā¦hell of a player as wellā¦we spent a lot of time together during Flames 04 run since we were both living in the hotelā¦he couldnāt have been nicer to me. RIP Chris. You will be missed.
— Mike Commodore (@commie22) March 19, 2024
Simon was the second former NHL player to die today at far too young an age. Earlier in the day, the Pittsburgh Penguins passed along the sad news that former player Konstantin Koltsov passed away. He was just 42 years old.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 19, 2024
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