Retired NHL winger Chris Simon has died at the age of 52. His family confirmed that he passed away by suicide.
"The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death," read a statement provided by Simon's former agent, Paul Theofanous, on behalf of the family, via ESPN.
"We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend. The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss."
Simon became the second ex-NHL player to die tragically in the past few days in what was believed to be a suicide. His death follows the one of Konstantin Koltsov, who reportedly jumped to his death from a hotel balcony in Miami.
Simon was a noted enforcer during a career that spanned from 1992-2008 with seven teams, including the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames and others.
Chris Simon played for seven teams during a 15-year NHL career. (Getty)
"Chris was a great guy, a beloved teammate and important part of our first championship season," Avalanche president Joe Sakic said in a statement. "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."
Simon spent most of his career with the Capitals, scoring a career-high 29 goals and 49 points during the 1999-2000 season. He also spent time with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild over his career.
"Chris Simon was most definitely an intimidating guy on the ice," former teammate Mike Commodore posted on social media. "We spent a lot of time together during Flames '04 run since we were both living in the hotel. ... He couldn't have been nicer to me. RIP Chris. You will be missed."
