Chris Simon dead at 52

[yave1964]

  Former long time enforcer Chris Simon died at 52. His family confirmed that he took his own life and stated that post career he has been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. 

  Simon was not just a goon, he could score a lot, career high 29 goals with the Capitals. He won a cup with Colorado and played twelve years in the NHL.

 

  Life has been hard post career. A couple of wives, five kids, he giled bankruptcy in 2017 and stated then that he has no work because he was unable to work due to CTE. His family stressed that CTE is the absolute cause for ending his life.

[pilldoc]

Thanks for posting .... what a shame.  

[flyercanuck]

He was a little over the top (maybe more than a little at times) but the guy could play. He put up almost .5 PPG while putting the fear of God into the opposition. Our knucklehead is at about .15 PPG. RIP, just sad seeing this. 

[JR Ewing]

 

[Icechipper]

Bob Probert

Derek Boogaard

Wade Belak

Rick Ryipan

Zarley Zalapski

Steve Motnador

Todd Ewen

Mark Pavelich

Konstantin Kolstov

Chris Simon

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

We see this time and time again with these former enforcer types....doesn't bode well for a young guy like the current 'hockey monster', Matt Rempe.

I feel bad for that young man because it seems all people care about him is his ability to do what guys like Simon and others did beforehand...not seemingly giving a damned about his hockey ability....and, to keep his place in the NHL, Rempe now has to continue to take the punishment until he no longer can...in which case, no one will give a crap about him after that.

Chris Simon is a good example of an old school type of player who could possibly make it in today's NHL (minus some of the 'too much' stuff he pulled on and off the ice and between whistles), because he could actually play the game a bit and would be a perfect fit for some team's bottom six, or maybe even as a space maker on a top six role, in 2024.

Those close to Rempe should take heed, counsel him properly, and encourage him to try to play more, fight less, although I understand that is part of his NHL DNA.
Otherwise, he could be yet another Boogaard, Rypien, or Simon in the making.

[SaucyJack]

11 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Simon was not just a goon, he could score a lot, career high 29 goals with the Capitals. He won a cup with Colorado

and with a LOT of good fortune and team luck, maybe he could have won one with the Capitals two years later in 1998.

 

The video here shows his only ‘98 playoff goal.  But it was in the Final, at heavily favored Detroit, and in the game Washington should have won to change the complexion of things.  It put the Caps up 2-1 in Game 2.  

Alas, their 3rd period 4-2 lead did not turn into a 3 goal lead after hired Oiler hand Esa Tikkanen missed a nearly empty cage on an odd play.  Two Red Wings goals in a minute with five to go, then an OT winner, put Detroit on a course to sweep when they returned to Washington.  (Wild Bill attending one game with all the secret service protection did not help.)

 

 

[yave1964]

8 hours ago, SaucyJack said:

and with a LOT of good fortune and team luck, maybe he could have won one with the Capitals two years later in 1998.

 

The video here shows his only ‘98 playoff goal.  But it was in the Final, at heavily favored Detroit, and in the game Washington should have won to change the complexion of things.  It put the Caps up 2-1 in Game 2.  

Alas, their 3rd period 4-2 lead did not turn into a 3 goal lead after hired Oiler hand Esa Tikkanen missed a nearly empty cage on an odd play.  Two Red Wings goals in a minute with five to go, then an OT winner, put Detroit on a course to sweep when they returned to Washington.  (Wild Bill attending one game with all the secret service protection did not help.)

 

 

Dude!!!

 

  I am a HUGE Wing fan from the seventies on, these two teams along with the Devils were long suffering from back in my day (God that sounds like I am old, lol).

 

  That game two is right up there as one of my all time favorites along with the Colorado rivalry.  Tikkanen threw his arms up in despair, Washington owned the first half, Detroit pushed, draper winning it in OT. Just an incredibly ugly yet beautiful game. And Simon was everywhere, I even remember him playing a ton of minutes and shutting us down when on the ice. He almost willed the Caps along with an exhausted Kolzig, but my Wings were too deep and talented. Fantastic game for him. 

[rottenrefs]

Such sad news. Very, very surprised when I read about it.

[thegx.ca]

One of my favorite players RIP...

[OccamsRazor]

He was part of the 800 player trade for Eric Lindros.

 

It worked out for him though because he won a Cup with the Avs.

 

Sucks he is gone. CTE is pretty close to PTSD and these guys need to seek help with they are in battle with this.

 

If the player can't/won't then it is on his family to find them help.

 

This saddens me lost some friends to both in sports and from military duty.

 

 

[yave1964]

10 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

He was part of the 800 player trade for Eric Lindros.

 

It worked out for him though because he won a Cup with the Avs.

 

Sucks he is gone. CTE is pretty close to PTSD and these guys need to seek help with they are in battle with this.

 

If the player can't/won't then it is on his family to find them help.

 

This saddens me lost some friends to both in sports and from military duty.

 

 

Fantastic post.

 

  Man, as a fan I have to admit I struggled for years with post career. CTE. I admit I love the hits, love Fighting in the game. Probie, Kocur, Domi, just loved them. Hated concussions but felt, well, they are paid more in a solid year than I make in ten. I cared but wanted to win. 

  My perspective changed when my oldest came home from Afghanistan for the third time. She had seen things and done things. Her best friend died twenty feet away. Without giving away personal facts, there are two days a year that she gets blind drunk. It's been eight years and PTSD is still here.

  So my perspective has changed quite a lot. I want to win now, but I do care about concussion issues much more than before. We have heard about a good dozen who CTE has claimed. There are dozens upon dozens who need help.  I don't want to hear about the next player Dead at fifty. Safety absolutely has to come first, full stop.

[JR Ewing]

8 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Fantastic post.

 

  Man, as a fan I have to admit I struggled for years with post career. CTE. I admit I love the hits, love Fighting in the game. Probie, Kocur, Domi, just loved them. Hated concussions but felt, well, they are paid more in a solid year than I make in ten. I cared but wanted to win. 

  My perspective changed when my oldest came home from Afghanistan for the third time. She had seen things and done things. Her best friend died twenty feet away. Without giving away personal facts, there are two days a year that she gets blind drunk. It's been eight years and PTSD is still here.

  So my perspective has changed quite a lot. I want to win now, but I do care about concussion issues much more than before. We have heard about a good dozen who CTE has claimed. There are dozens upon dozens who need help.  I don't want to hear about the next player Dead at fifty. Safety absolutely has to come first, full stop.

 

This is where I'm at as well. I *loved* the energy and emotion in games back when there was a lot more fighting, but it's tough to see so many men dying so young, and their last years being spent in so much pain. When I was a kid, the constant message was "nobody really gets hurt in hockey fights" and that it was just fat lips and black eyes. Just check out this article from the CBC:

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-enforcers-study-1.6838788

[OccamsRazor]

8 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Fantastic post.

 

  Man, as a fan I have to admit I struggled for years with post career. CTE. I admit I love the hits, love Fighting in the game. Probie, Kocur, Domi, just loved them. Hated concussions but felt, well, they are paid more in a solid year than I make in ten. I cared but wanted to win. 

  My perspective changed when my oldest came home from Afghanistan for the third time. She had seen things and done things. Her best friend died twenty feet away. Without giving away personal facts, there are two days a year that she gets blind drunk. It's been eight years and PTSD is still here.

  So my perspective has changed quite a lot. I want to win now, but I do care about concussion issues much more than before. We have heard about a good dozen who CTE has claimed. There are dozens upon dozens who need help.  I don't want to hear about the next player Dead at fifty. Safety absolutely has to come first, full stop.

 

I totally agree with all that and hate to hear thar for you and your loved one

 

I still can't sleep in a quiet room I have to have some kind of noise never realizing at the time what going to bed at night would do to me mentally every night hearing gun battle and 105 and 155 howisters and M1A1 Abraham's firing all night.

 

But it is to late for me now damage is done.

 

But my wife convinced me I should go to the VA about my PTSD and I took her advice and been going and working on that.

[OccamsRazor]

Great story...