Stanley Cup-winning winger Chris Simon has died at the age of 52, the NHL Players’ Association has confirmed.
Simon, a native of Wawa, Ont., played for several NHL teams throughout his long hockey career, including the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild.
He was chosen as the 25th overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft from the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s by the Philadelphia Flyers. He was then traded to the Nordiques in 1992 as part of the well-known Eric Lindros trade.
Simon was recognized as one of the most resilient players of his era, accumulating 1,824 penalty minutes over 782 NHL games.
He contributed to Colorado winning the Stanley Cup in 1996 and participated in Cup finals with Washington in 1998 and Calgary in 2004.
Rest In Peace, Chris Simon.
Simon played for the Flames across two seasons which included the 2004 Stanley Cup Final run where he scored 5 goals in 16 playoff games. pic.twitter.com/wNPEOPgAK5
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) March 19, 2024
“Chris Simon was certainly a formidable presence on the ice, and also an exceptional player,” former Flames teammate Mike Commodore wrote in a post on X Tuesday..
“We spent a lot of time together during Flames 04 run since we were both living in the hotel… he couldn’t have been nicer to me. RIP Chris. You will be missed.”
Folks…sad day today…Chris Simon was most definitely an intimidating guy on the ice…hell of a player as well…we spent a lot of time together during Flames 04 run since we were both living in the hotel…he couldn’t have been nicer to me. RIP Chris. You will be missed.
— Mike Commodore (@commie22) March 19, 2024
After his time in the NHL, Simon spent five seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, where he was recognized as an All-Star on two occasions.
The cause of his death has not been announced at this time.
