- Former NHL forward Kyle Calder has died at the age of 47
- Calder played 590 NHL games with Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim
- Read below for what his daughter shared and a look back at his career
Former NHL forward Kyle Calder has passed away at the age of 47.
The news came Monday from his daughter, Madison, who shared a tribute to her father on Instagram.
Madison wrote about the man who raised her and pushed her every day:
“There will never ever be enough words in the world to describe how incredibly lucky I was to have you as my dad. The lessons you taught me, the strength you showed me, and the person you pushed me to become every single day, I carry all of it with me. Save me a spot on the ice, Dad.”
A cause of death has not been made public. The Los Angeles Jr. Kings, the youth program Calder had been coaching, said he had been dealing with an illness.
Chicago drafted Calder in the fifth round in 1997, out of the Regina Pats of the WHL. He cracked the lineup for good in the early 2000s and gave a rebuilding Blackhawks team some real scoring punch.
His best season came in 2005-06, when he put up 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points.
The back half of his career kept him moving. Chicago dealt him to Philadelphia for Michal Handzus, and Detroit grabbed him at the 2007 trade deadline.
He reached the Western Conference Final with the Red Wings that spring. Two seasons with the Kings followed, and he closed out his NHL days with Anaheim in 2009-10.
In 590 NHL games, Calder finished with 114 goals and 180 assists for 294 points. He also won gold with Canada at the 2003 World Championship and took silver at the 1999 World Juniors.
Calder is the second former Blackhawk the hockey world has lost in recent weeks, coming not long after franchise great Dennis Hull passed away in May.
Everyone at Gino Hard sends condolences to Calder’s family, his friends, and the players he coached.
