Former NHL player Kyle Calder, who played the first six of his 10 NHL seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks, died Monday. He was 47.<\/p>\n
His daughter Madison announced her father\u2019s death in a social media post. The Los Angeles Jr. Kings, the team Calder coached from 2020-22, said he died after a brief illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever in a million years would I have thought this day would come,\u201d Madison Calder wrote<\/a> on Instagram. \u201cThere will forever be a void in my heart but forever a spot just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Calder played 608 regular-season and playoff games as a winger from 1999-2009. The Manville, Alberta, native spent a majority of that time with the Hawks, who selected him in the fifth round of the 1997 draft. He had 210 points (85 goals, 125 assists) in 359 regular-season games for the Hawks, including 50-plus-point seasons in 2001-02 and 2005-06.<\/p>\n He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n \u201cKyle embodied the values that make our alumni family so special: his loyalty, toughness, generosity and an unwavering commitment to those around him,\u201d the NHL Alumni Association said in a post Tuesday<\/a> memorializing him. \u201cHe was tough as nails on the ice, a fierce competitor who never backed down, yet behind that grit was a teddy bear heart.<\/p>\n \u201cKyle cared deeply for his teammates, friends and everyone fortunate enough to know him. He was a protector, a loyal friend and someone who always put others before himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Calder had coached youth teams in Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston since 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cKyle approached life with the same passion, intensity and incredible dedication that defined his play,\u201d Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. \u201cHis commitment to the game remained strong long after his professional career ended, sharing his love for hockey with all generations of players.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t