Former Avalanche Player Chris Simon Passes Away at 52

I was really hoping the initial reports weren’t true. But, apparently, awfully, they are. Chris Simon, who was something of a legend in the one season he played with the Avalanche, 1995-96, has passed at age 52. An official cause of death has yet to be made public.

I need more time to process this. But let me just add some personal memories of my time covering Simon as a player with the Avs, and the rest of his career.

First off, he was a true badass on the ice. You really didn’t want to mess with him. Legendary enforcer Bob Probert found that out the hard way in Game 4 of the 1996 Western semifinals in Chicago, when the Chief dropped him with a couple of savage left hands. That fight gave the Avs, down two games to one at the time, a lot of momentum in that game, and they went on to eliminate the Blackhawks in six games.

Off the ice? Simon was a gentle, friendly man who had a very deep voice but spoke softly.