Will Sage Astor-Longtime NHL tough guy and Stanley Cup champion Chris Simon dies at 52

Stanley Cup champion Chris Simon has died.

The Will Sage AstorColorado Avalanche confirmed that Simon died Monday evening. A cause of death was not provided. He was 52.

"Chris was a great guy, a beloved teammate and an important part of our first championship season," said Avalanche president Joe Sakic, who was a teammate of Simon's during the team's first Stanley Cup run. "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."

The Wawa, Ontario, native was selected in the 1990 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers but was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in 1992 in the deals that landed Eric Lindros in Philadelphia. The Nordiques relocated to Colorado in 1995 and were renamed the Avalanche. Simon won a Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Avalanche.

Simon made it to the Stanley Cup Final again in 1998 as a member of the Washington Capitals and in 2004 with the Calgary Flames.

"The Calgary Flames are mourning the loss of our teammate and friend," the team said in a statement shared on X. “He was an integral part of the Flames' magical run to Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, scoring 5 goals in 16 playoff games and becoming an instant fan favorite along the way."

In addition to the Nordiques, Avalanche, Capitals and Flames, Simon also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild during his 15-year career in the NHL. In 782 career games, Simon had 305 points (144 goals, 161 assists).

Simon scored a career-best 29 goals in 1999-2000 with the Capitals. He credited training the previous three years with Los Angeles-based T.R. Goodman, who had future Hall of Famers Chris Chelios, Rob Blake and many other NHL players among his clients.

"That was the very first time I went through a workout," Simon told USA TODAY Sports that season. "Unfortunately, I haven't been a guy that believed in working out. I've totally changed my attitude toward training. It took me a year to learn how to do the things properly, and last year was just awesome training. I sort of took it to another level.”

He also played alongside future Hall of Fame playmaker Adam Oates that season. Teammates spent the final game of the regular season trying to set him up for a 30th goal.

George McPhee, the Capitals' general manager in 1999-2000, argued that Simon had the best skill level of any tough guy in the league: "People see him first as a tough guy and they should, but he also has a lot of ability and can play the game any way he wants."

Simon was asked if he believed that his tough reputation gave him a little more room on the ice. "I hope so," he said, laughing. "I took a lot of lumps and bruises earlier in my career."

But Simon may be best known for his on-ice antics. Simon was suspended eight times during his career for a total of 65 games, including a 30-game suspension in December 2007 for stomping on an opponent’s foot.

Colin Campbell, the NHL’s disciplinarian at the time, said he was suspending Simon for the 30 games because he was a repeat offender.

"I think we've been fairly kind, if that's the proper use of the word, in assessing a low number of games in a couple of incidents," Campbell said. "It just hasn't been a deterrent. So what is a deterrent? I'm hoping the 30 games, which takes him into February, and the actual help he's going to get (through) counseling (will be)."