Former NHLer Chris Simon dies at 52

Tragic news broke today in the hockey world, as another longtime NHL enforcer is gone far too soon.

Chris Simon, a veteran of 782 games across 15 seasons, has passed away at age 52, as confirmed Tuesday by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

No cause of death has been confirmed as of this time.

Simon leaves behind a legacy as one of the toughest players of his era – and one of the most complicated. Standing a hulking 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers, 25^th overall, in the 1990 draft. He was eventually included as a player to be named later heading to the Quebec Nordiques in the blockbuster trade that sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers in 1992. Simon debuted with the Nordiques in 1992-93 and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96.

Simon carved out a reputation as one of the game’s nastiest customers over the course of his NHL career, split between Quebec/Colorado, the Washington Capitals, the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks, the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, but he had underrated scoring touch for a player of his ilk. Simon scored a career-high 29 goals in 1999-00 as a member of the Capitals – which would equate to well north of 30 goals today if adjusted for era – and he even received a third-place Hart Trophy vote that season. He scored 144 goals in his career.

Still, while Simon’s skill was overlooked, his penchant for violence was the defining characteristic of his legacy. He was suspended eight times in his career, sitting out a total of 65 games. He’s the only player in NHL history to earn two suspensions of 25 games or more. While playing for the Islanders, Simon got a 30-game ban in 2007 for stomping on the leg of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu and agreed to seek counselling afterward. Simon earned 25 games that same season for a two-handed swing of his stick to the face of the New York Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg.

Simon played his last NHL games with the Minnesota Wild in 2007-08 and spent the final five seasons of his pro hockey career competing in the KHL.

Simon struggled with addiction as a teenager but got sober as an adult. Later in his career, Simon, who is of Ojibwa descent, became a counsellor for First Nations youth struggling with alcoholism.

In 2017, Simon filed for bankruptcy. His debts owed included more than $128,000 of child support, but he claimed he was unable to work as a result of injuries sustained during his hockey career. In the document he submitted to the Ottawa court system, Simon said he had symptoms linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from brain trauma he suffered playing hockey.

Simon leaves behind four children whom he had with his second wife, Valerie. The couple divorced in 2017.

Daily Faceoff extends condolences to Simon’s family anyone affected by his passing.