Former NHL forward Chris Simon who played for both the New York Islanders and Rangers, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 52, the Islanders confirmed.
“The New York Islanders offer their condolences to the family and friends of Chris Simon,” a statement from the team read. “He epitomized what it means to be an Islander, someone who wore his heart on his sleeve both on the ice and in the community.”
The Wawa, Ontario native played 15 seasons in the NHL for seven different franchises, including seven years with the Washington Capitals (320 games). He began his career with the Quebec Nordiques and moved with the franchise to Colorado where he was a member of the 1996 Stanley Cup-winning team.
Simon also made two other appearances in the Stanley Cup Final — once in 1998 with the Capitals and again in 2004 with the Calgary Flames. He spent 65 games at the start of that 2003-04 season with the New York Rangers before being dealt to Calgary.
In 2006, he signed with the Islanders where he appeared in 95 games across two seasons. He recorded 10 goals and 17 assists in his first season with the team, but it was cut short when he was suspended for 30 games for swinging his stick to hit Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in the face. At the time in 2007, it was the longest suspension in NHL history.
He was traded during the 2007-08 campaign to the Minnesota Wild and retired after that season.
Across 782 NHL games, Simon racked up 1,824 penalty minutes and 101 fighting majors. He also scored 144 goals with 161 assists.
