Lyle Odelein, who won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, died of a heart attack Friday at 58.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the news Saturday afternoon, noting health problems that had lasted several years, according to La Presse's William Thériault.
Odelein played 1,056 NHL games between 1990 and 2006, and 420 of them came in a Canadiens sweater. The other 636 were spread across seven more organizations.
He finished his career with 50 goals and 202 assists, good for 252 points.
At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he was known for his toughness, the kind of defenseman opponents remembered after a shift against him.
Every Cup team needs a player like that. The highlight reels go to the scorers, but rosters like the 1993 Canadiens don't get there without defensemen willing to do the hard work.
He was the foundation of the house, the part nobody photographs but everybody depends on.
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Lyle Odelein dies at 58 as hockey world mourns former Canadiens defenseman
Odelein was born in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, and the Canadiens drafted him in the seventh round in 1986.
His pro apprenticeship came with the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League, from 1988 to 1990.
The best year came right after the Cup, in 1993-94, when he scored 11 goals.
That season ended with 40 points in 79 games, a career high.
For a seventh-round pick, that's a career most players only dream about.
The Canadiens kept him in the organization until 1996, and he went on to play for New Jersey, Phoenix, Columbus, Chicago, Dallas, Florida and Pittsburgh.
How many teams leaned on him? Eight NHL clubs in all, with Montreal getting by far the longest look.
The current Canadiens arrive in Pittsburgh at 1-0-0, and La Presse reports Martin St-Louis is keeping the same lineup that beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday.
Odelein's career ran through Pittsburgh too. When the puck drops there tonight, plenty of Canadiens fans will be thinking about the defenseman from Quill Lake who helped deliver 1993.
Source : Here
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