Former NHL defenceman Lyle Odelein, who won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 and later became the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history, has died at age 58. The Canadiens confirmed his death on Saturday, with reports indicating he died Friday night.
Who was Lyle Odelein and how did he die
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. A native of Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, Odelein spent 17 seasons in the NHL, including seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.
The making of a Stanley Cup champion in Montreal
A seventh-round pick who became a shutdown force
Selected by the Montreal Canadiens from the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League in the seventh round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, Odelein spent his first seven NHL seasons in Montreal, developing into a rugged, hard-hitting, and reliable shutdown defenceman. His first NHL goal was a highlight-reel end-to-end rush against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ed Belfour on December 19, 1991.
The 1993 championship run
Odelein put up six points (one goal, five assists) and a plus-9 rating in 20 playoff games as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, which is still the last title for a Canadian team. Teammates remembered him as a defining piece of that era's identity; teammate Mathieu Schneider that season called Odelein a synonym for Canadiens-style hockey, saying "Montreal Canadiens hockey is safe, sound hockey - not too many chances."
Odelein's career highs came the following season, when he recorded career highs of 11 goals, 29 assists and 276 penalty minutes, and on February 2, 1994, had five assists against the Hartford Whalers, tying a Canadiens record for assists by a defenceman.
Blue Jackets' first-ever captain and later stops
The 2000 expansion draft
Ahead of the 1996-97 season, Montreal traded Odelein to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Stephane Richer, and he played three-plus seasons there before getting traded to the Phoenix Coyotes 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.
Chicago, Dallas, Florida and Pittsburgh
Midway through the 2001-02 season, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenceman Jaroslav Spacek, and he went on to spend time with the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins before retiring after the 2005-06 season. Across his career, Odelein tallied 50 goals and 252 points in 1,056 NHL games, while also accumulating over 2,316 penalty minutes, and added five goals and 13 assists in 86 playoff games. Odelein ranks 30th in the league's history for most career penalty minutes.
A long battle back from a near-fatal illness
Years after retirement, Odelein faced a far tougher opponent off the ice. He recovered from a health crisis in 2018, when he developed a blood infection, was in a medically induced coma for 40 days and needed to have multiple transplants. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with critical illness polyneuropathy after falling into a coma and suffering paralysis, and underwent a heart valve, liver, and kidney transplant at Allegheny General Hospital in Pennsylvania. He was released from a rehabilitation facility in July 2018 and was walking unaided by September 2018.
Tributes pour in across the NHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets, the franchise he helped launch a quarter-century ago, honoured his legacy in a statement: "Lyle is a significant part of our history, serving as our first captain and helping us celebrate our 25th season last March. He left an indelible mark on our organization and community."
The Pittsburgh Penguins, his final NHL stop, also offered condolences. The team said Odelein was known for his "tough exterior on the ice," plus a "generous heart and enormous laugh," adding, "Our condolences go out to his wife, Laurel, their children and the Odelein family."
Beyond club hockey, Odelein represented Canada at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996, in which Canada finished as the runner-up. For a generation of Canadiens fans, he remains tied to the franchise's last championship parade, a moment that still resonates every time Montreal chases another Cup.