Simon, enforcer for Rangers and Isles, dies at 52
Chris Simon, enforcer for seven NHL franchises, including the Rangers and Islanders, has died. He was 52.
Simon died Monday night in his hometown of Wawa, Ontario, a spokesperson for the NHL Players’ Association, who has been in touch with the late forward’s agent, said Tuesday. Paul Theofanous, who represented Simon, did not respond to a message seeking further details and Ontario Provincial Police declined to answer questions about Simon’s death. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Union spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said Simon’s children and family were grieving over the sudden loss.
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.
“For a big tough player, he was also a very kind, caring individual who was always respectful and grateful for advice,” former agent Larry Kelly said in a text message to The Associated Press.
Simon won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and was part of runs to the finals 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 Rangers and Islanders, before finishing with five seasons in the KHL from 2008-13 and retiring.
“Chris was a great guy, a beloved teammate and an important part of our first championship season,” said Joe Sakic, Colorado’s president of hockey operations who was captain when the team won in 1996.
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.
Philadelphia drafted Simon in the second round of the 1990 draft and sent him to the Nordiques as part of the trade that got the Flyers prized prospect Eric Lindros.