Chris Simon, a longtime NHL pugilist who spent his battle-filled days with the Rangers and Islanders, has died at the age of 52. According to the NHL Alumni Association on tuesday.
No confirmed cause of death was available.
“The New York Islanders extend their condolences to the family and friends of former Islanders forward Chris Simon,” the Islanders shared on X. On the ice and in the community. ”
The 15-year veteran was a renowned enforcer, recording 101 games and 1,824 penalty minutes in 782 NHL games from 1992 to 2008 and winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 1996.
He received two of his eight suspensions, the longest in NHL history. One, while with the Islanders, was a 25-game suspension for hitting Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in the face with both hands on his stick on March 25, 2007. He was suspended for two seasons and 30 games for stepping on Jarkko Lutu’s foot during a game against the Penguins on December 15, 2007.
In addition to the Rangers and Isles, Simon also played for the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, and Minnesota Wild, scoring 144 goals and 161 assists on April 15, 2008. He played in his final NHL game during the playoff series against Minnesota. Colorado.
He finished his career in the KHL, appearing in the 2010 and 2011 All-Star Games, and retired after the 2012-13 season.
In 2017, The Ottawa Citizen reported Simon, who earned an estimated $15 million during his NHL career, filed for bankruptcy and is “surviving on welfare and disability checks.”
The injury, which includes symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, caused him to suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis in his shoulders, hands, knees, back and neck throughout his career, and was unable to work, according to The Ottawa Paper. It is said that it is gone. Citizen.
Simon leaves behind four children from his marriage to second wife Valerie, whom he divorced in 2017.
Former teammates and NHL players praised Simon on social media.
“Chris Simon was definitely an intimidating guy on the ice,” said defenseman Mike Commodore, who played with Simon in Calgary. I wrote to X. “He was a great player too…we lived in a hotel so we spent a lot of time together during the Flames 04 run…he couldn’t have been nicer to me. Rest in peace. Chris. I will miss you.”
