Washington Capitals fall to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., Feb. 2, 2022. (Photo by Brian Murphy, All-Pro Reels)
Edmonton Oilers most talented and skilled player has been found dead due to his…
The most gifted and skilled player for the Edmonton Oilers was discovered dead. The late Chris Simon was one of hockey’s most feared enforcers.
Simon’s family announced his suicide on Monday night in a statement sent to ESPN.
The statement from Simon’s former agent, Paul Theofanous, stated, “The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand that Chris struggled immensely from CTE, which unfortunately resulted in his death.” “The death of our son, brother, parent, partner, teammate, and friend is causing us great sorrow.
We at Wawa are grieving together as a community. We kindly request your privacy during this extremely trying period and will not be providing any more information at this time. We are grateful to everyone who has been affected by our sad loss.”
The diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is only possible posthumously. Other former NHL enforcers, including Bob Probert, Derek Boogaard, and Wade Belak, have also been diagnosed with the neurological illness.
In 782 games with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Minnesota Wild, the six-foot-three, 232-pound forward from Wawa, Ontario, amassed 1,824 penalty minutes.
In an email confirming Simon’s passing on Tuesday, the NHLPA stated that “his children and family are grieving the sudden loss of their father, son, brother, friend, and teammate.”
The NHL coach of Simon, Nolan, also texted Simon, saying, “Chris would be my first pick if I was starting a team.”
“Size, skill, talent, and above all, a heart of gold.”
Simon was not without controversy, either.
Throughout his career, the NHL suspended him eight times for a total of 65 games. In March 2007, Simon received a 25-game suspension while playing for the Islanders for a cross-check to Ryan Hollweg’s face, a forward for the New York Rangers.
Then, in December of that same year, he was given a 30-game suspension for stomping on Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jarkko Ruutu’s leg.
He could put the puck in the net and was well-known for his fists during a time when staged fights and intimidation were commonplace in the NHL.
In 75 postseason games, he tallied 10 goals, 17 points, and 191 penalty minutes.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the NHL recognized his fierceness as a player.
After playing in over 800 NHL games over 15 seasons, Chris Simon passed away, and the NHL is saddened by his loss. Simon was a hard competitor and a great teammate. He made it to the 1998 Stanley Cup final with Washington and the 2004 Stanley Cup final with Calgary. Simon won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996.
We send our deepest sympathies to his friends, family, and former comrades.
Following his final NHL stint with Minnesota in 2007–08, Simon spent portions of five seasons playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, which is headquartered in Russia.
Simon declared bankruptcy in 2017 after accruing debts over $500,000. A doctor’s assessment, included in the file, revealed that Simon suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and arthritis in his neck, back, knees, and shoulder.
Simon claimed that injuries sustained during his playing career prevented him from working.
In an affidavit, Simon stated, “I have no ability to pay the alleged arrears or enter into any form of payment agreement,” adding that he was now in need of social assistance. “I have a dire financial situation.”
On Tuesday, as word of his passing spread, his old teammates took to X, the social media site that was once known as Twitter.
Mike Commodore, who played with Simon in Calgary, wrote on social media, calling Simon “an intimidating guy on the ice… hell of a player as well.” He was the nicest person I could have met. Chris, RIP. We shall miss you.”
