Colorado Avalanche middle Stephane Yelle, left, celebrates his objective with left wing Chris Simon in opposition to the Detroit Purple Wings within the third interval of the Stadium Sequence alumni recreation at Coors Subject in Denver on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. Colorado gained 5-2. (AP Photograph/David Zalubowski)
Chris Simon, one of many hardest gamers of his technology and a Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, died Monday. He was 52.
Simon performed 782 video games within the NHL with seven groups, together with 4 seasons with Quebec/Colorado. The reason for dying has not been reported.
“Chris was an ideal man, a beloved teammate and an vital a part of our first championship season,” Avalanche president and former teammate Joe Sakic stated in an announcement. “He was a extremely good hockey participant who may rating objectives, was a giant presence within the dressing room and was the primary individual to face up and defend his teammates. Off the ice, he was an unbelievable man and a caring father, son, brother and good friend. He might be sorely missed.”
A Wawa, Ontario native, Simon was drafted by Philadelphia however turned a participant to be named later in probably the most well-known trades in NHL historical past that despatched Eric Lindros to the Flyers and eight gamers in whole, together with Peter Forsberg, to the Nordiques. His first season as a full-time NHL participant was 1995-96 when he had 16 objectives and 34 factors in 64 video games and appeared in 12 playoff video games because the Avalanche made its first title run.
He was traded to the Washington Capitals after that season with Curtis Leschyshyn in a deal that netted the Avalanche two draft picks, one which turned Scott Parker, and Keith Jones. Simon had a well-earned repute as one of many prime pugilists of his period, racking up greater than 100 combating majors in his NHL profession. Simon’s 250 penalty minutes for the Avalanche in 1995-96 are the sixth-most in a single season in franchise historical past.
Simon additionally reached the Stanley Cup Closing with the Capitals in 1998 and Calgary Flames in 2004. He completed his hockey profession with 5 seasons within the KHL, together with a three-year run with Chekhov Vityaz when he racked up 403 penalty minutes in 103 video games.
The NHL despatched out an announcement Tuesday evening acknowledging Simon’s dying that referenced his repute as a “fierce competitor and teammate.”
“Our honest condolences exit to his household, buddies and former teammates,” the assertion learn.
Whereas Simon earned reward from coaches and teammates for his willingness to face up for teammates, he was additionally suspended eight instances. Two of them had been among the many longest for on-ice self-discipline in league historical past.
Simon was suspended for 25 video games in March 2007 for swinging his stick, baseball-style on the head of the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg. He was suspended for 30 video games after stomping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu close to the crew benches in December 2007.
Simon talked brazenly about coping with substance abuse habit throughout his junior profession in Ontario. He credited Ted Nolan, who coached him with Sault Ste. Marie within the OHL and later with the New York Islanders within the NHL, with serving to him battle these points.
In accordance with a narrative in The Nationwide Publish, he filed for chapter in 2017, with a physician testifying that Simon had signs of power traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and suffered from melancholy, anxiousness, post-traumatic stress dysfunction and arthritis to his shoulder, hand, knees, again and neck.
Simon attributed the CTE points to “vital mind trauma” and claimed he was unable to work due to the accidents he sustained throughout his hockey profession. In that very same yr, Simon was additionally certainly one of greater than 100 former gamers who joined a lawsuit aimed on the NHL and the way it dealt with concussions. The lawsuit was settled in 2019.
“Chris was an ideal teammate, linemate and good friend,” Peter Bondra, a teammate of Simon’s in Washington stated on X, the social media software previously referred to as Twitter. “At all times form. Have lots of nice reminiscences with him, Relaxation in peace, Si.”