Former NHL defenseman Lyle Odelein passes away at 58

The hockey world just lost one of its legendary tough guys.

Former NHL defenseman Lyle Odelein passed away at the age of 58 on Friday night.

According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Odelein succumbed to a heart attack overnight. He lived in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, and is survived by his wife, Laurel, and his three children, Paulyna, Dylan, and Mackenzy.

The Quill Lake, Saskatchewan native played 16 seasons in the NHL. Selected by the Montreal Canadiens from the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the seventh round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, Odelein spent his first seven NHL seasons in Montreal. With the Canadiens, he developed into a rugged, hard-hitting, and reliable shutdown defenseman. He was a key member of Montreal’s 1993 Stanley Cup championship team, putting up a goal and five assists for six points and a +9 rating in the Canadiens’ 20 playoff games that year.

Ahead of the 1996-97 season, Montreal traded Odelein to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Stephane Richer. He played three-plus seasons in New Jersey before getting traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Deron Quint ans a third-round draft pick in March of 2000.

In the 2000 expansion draft, Odelein was taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and was subsequently named the team’s captain for their inaugural 2000-01 season. Midway through the 2001-02 season, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. He went on to spend time with the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins before retiring after the 2005-06 season.

Odelein finished his NHL career with 50 goals and 202 assists for 252 points, to go along with 2,316 penalty minutes, over 1,056 games.

Internationally, Odelein represented Canada at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996, in which Canada finished as the runner-up.