Former NY Islanders F and 15-year NHL enforcer Chris Simon passes away at 52

The NHL Alumni Association announced that long-time enforcer Chris Simon, who played parts of two seasons with the New York Islanders, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 52.

"The New York Islanders offer their condolences to the family and friends of former Islanders forward Chris Simon," the team posted on X. "Chris played two seasons with the Islanders (2006-07 and 2007-08). 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."

Simon signed with the Islanders in July 2006 and was part of head coach Ted Nolan's 2006-07 team that clinched a playoff berth on the last day of the regular season. He scored 10 goals and had 17 assists that season, appearing in 67 games. Simon was suspended for the rest of the regular season and playoffs when for a two-handed stick swing to the face of New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in a game at Madison Square Garden on Mar. 7, 2007.

The following season, on Dec. 15, 2007, Simon stomped on the leg of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jarkko Ruutu, resulting in an NHL-record 30-game suspension given his track record. He returned to play one more game with the Islanders before being traded to the Minnesota Wild for a 2008 sixth-round pick. He finished his 15-year NHL career with the Wild and retired after the season. He went on to play several season in the KHL where he was an All-Star.

A Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche during the 1995-96 season, Simon played in 782 games across 15 seasons for seven different franchises (Washington, Colorado, Calgary, the Islanders, Chicago, New York Rangers, and Minnesota). He scored 144 goals and racked up 1,824 PIMs.