Chris Simon, one of the toughest players of his generation and a Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, died Monday. He was 52.
Simon played 782 games in the NHL with seven teams, including four seasons with Quebec/Colorado.
“Chris was a great guy, a beloved teammate and an important part of our first championship season,” Avalanche president and former teammate Joe Sakic said in a statement. “He was a really good hockey player who could score goals, was a big presence in the dressing room and was the first person to stand up and defend his teammates. Off the ice he was an unbelievable guy and a caring father, son, brother and friend. He will be sorely missed.”
Simon was drafted by Philadelphia but became a player to be named later in one of the most famous trades in NHL history that sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers and eight players in total, including Peter Forsberg, to the Nordiques. His first season as a full-time NHL player was 1995-96, when he had 16 goals and 34 points in 64 games and appeared in 12 playoff games as the Avalanche made its first title run.
He was traded to the Washington Capitals after that season with Curtis Leschyshyn that netted the Avalanche two draft picks, one that became Scott Parker, and Keith Jones. Simon had a well-earned reputation as one of the top pugilists of his era, racking up more than 100 fighting majors in his NHL career before spending five seasons in the KHL.
Simon’s 250 penalty minutes for the Avalanche in 1995-96 is the sixth-most in franchise history.