Chris Simon’s family shares more disturbing details on his passing

The hockey community was heartbroken on Tuesday when it was annonced that former NHL tough guy Chris Simon had died at 52 years old. His family confirmed he died by suicide in a statement, in which more disturbing details were revealed on what he suffered before choosing to take his own life:

“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.”

Simon’s family believes he was suffering from brain trauma. CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem although progress is being made towards an assessment in the living.

Simon played for seven NHL franchises in a career that lasted from 1992 to 2013. He also played in the KHL in Russian, where he became a two-time all-star. He was known everywhere he went as a loyal teammate, willing to stand up and defend his fellow players. The NHL Alumni Association’s social media account read: “Chris was never afraid to stand up for his teammates, and played a key role in the dressing room. He was a beloved friend, father, brother, and son.”

His most notable achievement came in the 1995-96 season when he helped the Colorado Avalanche to their first ever Stanley Cup title when he was part of the Quebec Nordiques’ club that was relocated to Denver.

The enforcer finished his NHL career with 1,824 penalty minutes and 305 points in 864 games.

Simon, who married twice and had five children, had filed for bankruptcy in 2017 when he stated that he was unable to work due to what he believed were symptoms of CTE which, according to documents, he said were “attributable to significant brain trauma during his hockey career.” It was confirmed by a doctor that Simon suffered from anxiety and depression, which are symptoms of CTE.

The news of Simon’s passing is terrible and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans. It is unfortunately news that echoes with the passing of former NHL player, Konstantin Koltsov, who reportedly died in what police say was an “apparent suicide”.

May they both rest in peace.

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