NHL Tragedies: The Deaths That Have Rocked the Hockey World
September 3, 2024
A series of tragic deaths, both on and off the ice, has left the world of professional hockey in mourning.
On March 18, 2024, former NHL players Konstantin Koltsov and Chris Simon were announced dead in separate instances, the latest in a string of recent passings to rock the sport.
Koltsov, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was pronounced dead at the age of 42 after jumping from a hotel balcony in Miami.
Simon, who played for seven different NHL franchises, died by suicide at the age of 52. After his death, Simon’s family raised concerns about his years of battling CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) as a result of his hockey career.
For more information about their deaths and others, keep reading:
Konstantin Koltsov
Courtesy of Aryna Sabalenka/Instagram
Belarusian hockey player Koltsov died in March 2024 at the age of 42.
“According to investigators on Monday, March 18, 2024, at approximately 12:39 a.m., Bal Harbour Police and Fire Rescue were dispatched to the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, 9703 Collins Avenue, in reference to a male that jumped from a balcony,” the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement to Us Weekly. No foul play was suspected.
Koltsov was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999 and played a total of 144 games for the franchise from 2003-2006.
In addition, Koltsov formerly dated tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who remembered her former partner after his death.
“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka wrote via her Instagram Story after his death. “Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
