Kyle Calder\u2019s time with the Detroit Red Wings was brief.<\/p>\n
Sadly, so was his time on this earth.<\/p>\n
Calder, a longtime NHL forward who played 590 games, including 19 for Detroit, died on Tuesday. He was just 47 years old.<\/p>\n
In an Instagram post, his daughter Madison announced the tragic news, noting that her father had suffered from a \u201cbrief illness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, there will never ever be enough words in the world to describe how incredibly lucky I was to have you as my dad,\u201d she posted. \u201cNever in a million years would I have thought this day would come. There will forever be a void in my heart, but forever a spot just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calder played in the NHL<\/a> from 1999 through 2010, collecting 114 goals and 294 points. His best NHL campaigns were with the Chicago Blackhawks. He\u2019d post two 20-goal seasons in Chicago, including a career-high 26 goals in 2005-06.<\/p>\n Among those responding to the news was former NHL forward Colby Armstrong.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to train every day in the summer with him in Saskatoon,\u201d Armstrong posted on Instagram. \u201cHe had such a laid-back, loving, easy-going way to him that made him so easy to be around.\u201d <\/p>\n Along with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, Calder also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n The Red Wings acquired Calder at the 2007 NHL trade deadline<\/p>\n It was the Blackhawks who would deal Calder to Detroit at the 2007 NHL trade deadline in exchange for forward Jason Williams. Building up for a Stanley Cup run, the Wings also acquired forward Todd Bertuzzi<\/a> at the trade deadline. <\/p>\n Our NHL Alumni family is deeply saddened by the passing of Kyle Calder.<\/p>\n Today, we mourn not only a respected former NHL player but a cherished teammate, friend, and member of our hockey brotherhood. Kyle embodied the values that make our alumni family so special: his loyalty,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/l5jAIjX95t<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) June 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Calder played 19 games the rest of the way for the Wings and was impressively productive. He scored five goals among his 14 points.<\/p>\n Calder scored on his first shift with the Red Wings. He netted a goal and an assist in his Red Wings debut, oddly enough, against Chicago. Through his first eight games with Detroit<\/a>, he\u2019d account for two goals and eight assists, collecting points in seven of the eight games.<\/p>\n In 13 Stanley Cup playoff games that spring, Calder was limited to one assist. Detroit was eliminated by the eventual Cup champion Ducks in the Western Conference final.<\/p>\n That summer, he\u2019d sign with the Kings as an unrestricted free agent.<\/p>\n