<p>Tragic news broke today in the hockey world, as another longtime NHL enforcer is gone far too soon.</p>



<p>Chris Simon, a veteran of 782 games across 15 seasons, has passed away at age 52, as confirmed Tuesday by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.</p>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sad news: Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died at age 52.</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Avs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Avs</a> in 1996 and made Finals appearances with WSH and CGY.</p>
<p>Simon's children, family and…</p>
<p>— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1770174028969545757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>



<p>No cause of death has been confirmed as of this time.</p>



<p>Simon leaves behind a legacy as one of the toughest players of his era – and one of the most complicated. Standing a hulking 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers, 25<sup>th</sup> overall, in the 1990 draft. He was eventually included as a player to be named later heading to the Quebec Nordiques in the blockbuster trade that sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers in 1992. Simon debuted with the Nordiques in 1992-93 and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="204"></div>



<p>Simon carved out a reputation as one of the game’s nastiest customers over the course of his NHL career, split between Quebec/Colorado, the Washington Capitals, the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks, the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, but he had underrated scoring touch for a player of his ilk. Simon scored a career-high 29 goals in 1999-00 as a member of the Capitals – which would equate to well north of 30 goals today if adjusted for era –&nbsp;and he even received a third-place Hart Trophy vote that season. He scored 144 goals in his career.</p>



<p>Still, while Simon’s skill was overlooked, his penchant for violence was the defining characteristic of his legacy. He was suspended eight times in his career, sitting out a total of 65 games. He’s the only player in NHL history <a href="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/the-10-longest-suspensions-in-nhl-history/">to earn two suspensions of 25 games or more</a>. While playing for the Islanders, Simon got a 30-game ban in 2007 for stomping on the leg of Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu and agreed to seek counselling afterward. Simon earned 25 games that same season for a two-handed swing of his stick to the face of the New York Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="200"></div>



<p>Simon played his last NHL games with the Minnesota Wild in 2007-08 and spent the final five seasons of his pro hockey career competing in the KHL. </p>



<p>Simon struggled with addiction as a teenager but got sober as an adult. Later in his career, Simon, who is of Ojibwa descent, became a counsellor for First Nations youth struggling with alcoholism. </p>



<p>In 2017, Simon filed for bankruptcy. His debts owed included more than $128,000 of child support, but he claimed he was unable to work as a result of injuries sustained during his hockey career. <a href="https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/my-situation-is-bleak-ex-nhl-enforcer-chris-simon-files-for-bankruptcy#:~:text=OTTAWA%20%E2%80%94%20Former%20NHL%20enforcer%20Chris,social%20assistance%20and%20disability%20cheques.">In the document he submitted to the Ottawa court system</a>, Simon said he had symptoms linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from brain trauma he suffered playing hockey. </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="133"></div>



<p>Simon leaves behind four children whom he had with his second wife, Valerie. The couple divorced in 2017.</p>



<p>Daily Faceoff extends condolences to Simon’s family anyone affected by his passing.</p>
