Chris Simon Cause of Death: What did the Stanley Cup Champion die of?
Former NHL left winger and enforcer Chris Simon died at the age of 52.
Simon passed away on Monday night in his hometown of Wawa, Ontario. A spokesperson for the NHL Players’ Association revealed this information on Tuesday.
Who was Chris Simon?
Christopher J. Simon was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Known as an aggressive player, Simon played 857 regular-season and playoff games over 15 NHL seasons from 1993-2008.
Over his career, he fought more than 100 times and racked up 1,824 penalty minutes to rank 67th in league history.
Simon won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and was part of runs to the final with Washington in 1998 and Calgary in 2004.
He also spent time with the Quebec Nordiques before they became the Avalanche and played for Chicago, Calgary, Minnesota and the New York Rangers and Islanders, before finishing with five seasons in the KHL from 2008-13 and retiring.
Simon on the ice was a respected teammate and fan favorite, though he occasionally crossed the line and faced supplemental discipline.
The NHL suspended him eight times totaling 65 games, including a 25-game ban in March 2007 while he was with the Islanders for cross-checking the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg in the face and 30 games for stomping on the leg of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu that December.
The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Simon in the second round of the 1990 draft and later traded him to the Nordiques in 1992 as part of a deal for Eric Lindros, a highly regarded prospect.
Simon, who had Ojibwa heritage, was widely seen as a role model for First Nations hockey players across Canada.
Chris Simon cause of death
Chris Simon’s cause of death was confirmed by his family to be a suicide in a statement released Tuesday night.
“The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death,” the statement, provided by Simon’s former agent, Paul Theofanous, on behalf of Simon’s family, read.
“We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend. The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss.”
Chris Simon is survived by his four children. His passing has been mourned by the hockey community, with many paying tribute to his contributions to the sport.
“Chris Simon was most definitely an intimidating guy on the ice,” former teammate Mike Commodore posted on social media.
“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.”
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