Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon dies at 52

There is more sad news out of the National Hockey League this afternoon, as it has been reported that former enforcer Chris Simon has passed away at the age of 52.

The news was confirmed by NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, who wrote the following on X (formerly known as Twitter):

"Sad news: Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died at age 52.

The Wawa, Ont., native racked up 1,824 PIM and 101 fighting majors in his 15-year NHL career. Simon won a Stanley Cup with the #Avs in 1996 and made Finals appearances with WSH and CGY.

Simon's children, family and friends are grieving his sudden loss."

A Stanley Cup winner with the expansion Colorado Avalanche in 1996, Simon was originally drafted 25th overall in 1990 by the Philadelphia Flyers, and was traded to the Quebec Nordiques as part of the massive deal that brought Eric Lindros to Philadelphia.

He would later suit up in a pair of Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames, respectively, but unfortunately came up short in both instances.

He was best known for his intimidating physical presence on the ice and propensity to drop the gloves, having racked up 14474 penalty minutes during his NHL career that spanned 864 games with the Nordiques/Avalanche, Capitals, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Flames, and Minnesota Wild.

He himself at one point revealed that he had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE.

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