Bobby Hull, Wirtz, Jeanneret, Snow among deaths in hockey world in 2023

The hockey community was hit hard in 2023 with the deaths of an electric goal-scorer from the 1960s, the principal owner of the Chicago Blackhawks since 2007, a Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster whose 51 years calling games for the Buffalo Sabres is the longest play-by-play announcing career in NHL history and the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames, who fought an inspiring public battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Generations of fans also mourned the loss of a 29-year-old forward who played 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2018-19, another who after long stretches on the bench scored a triple-overtime goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final, a gold-medal winning defenseman for the Unified Team at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, known as "Hurricane Hazel" who helped bring the Ontario Hockey League to the city and a member of the 1972-73 New York Islanders NHL expansion team.

Here's a look at some of those in the hockey world who died during the year, in chronological order:

Sergei Bautin

Jan. 2 (age 55)

The defenseman won gold with the Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics. He began his professional career with Moscow Dynamo of the Soviet Championship League before the Winnipeg Jets selected him with the No. 17 pick in the 1992 NHL Draft. Bautin had 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 132 NHL games for the Jets, Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks, played in Sweden, Germany and Japan, and ended his career in Russia. He became coach of the Kansas City Outlaws Bantam AA Hockey team, and coached all levels at the B, A, AA, and AAA.

Gino Odjick

Jan. 14 (age 52)

The hard-nosed forward was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (No. 86) of the 1990 NHL Draft. He instantly became a popular player because of his physical style and ability to stand up for his teammates, which included Pavel Bure, who often described Odjick as one of his best friends. Odjick had 137 points (64 goals, 73 assists) and 2,567 penalty minutes in 605 regular-season games for the Canucks, Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens from 1990-2002, and five points (four goals, one assist) in 44 Stanley Cup Playoff games. His death was less than nine years after he announced June 26, 2014, that he had been diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, a rare terminal disease that produces abnormal protein deposits in the heart. At the time of the diagnosis, Odjick said that doctors weren't sure how long he had to live but warned him that it could be "months or even weeks."

Hazel McCallion

Jan. 29 (age 101)

"Hurricane Hazel" was mayor of Mississauga for 12 terms, the last of which came at 94 years old. The Hockey Hall of Fame recognizes McCallion as "a true trailblazer on and off the ice and was instrumental in the growth of the women's game not only in Canada, but across the globe." She and former NHL coach Don Cherry were instrumental in the construction of the Hershey Centre, bringing the Mississauga IceDogs to the OHL in 1998 and the IIHF Women's World Championship to the city two years later. McCallion, once a board member of the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, began playing hockey in the 1920s and was a forward for a professional women's hockey team while attending school in Montreal.

Bobby Hull

Jan. 30 (age 84)

The 1983 Hall of Fame inductee is arguably the greatest player in Blackhawks history and one of the most feared goal-scorers of the 1960s. Hull's 604 goals are the most in team history. He and his son, Brett Hull, were named two of the NHL 100 Greatest Players, the only father and son duo on the list. Nicknamed "The Golden Jet" because of his blonde hair, blazing speed and a slap shot that was clocked at more than 100 mph coming off his curved stick, Hull made life miserable for opposing goalies. Hall of Fame goalie Gump Worsley once said after taking a shot from Hull to the face that the only reason he survived was because he was hit by the flat side of the puck rather than its edge. A shot off the top of his head from Hull prompted Cesare Maniago to begin wearing a face mask whenever he played the Blackhawks.

Mikhail Ovechkin

Feb. 15 (age 71)

Mikhail Ovechkin battled health issues that prevented him from traveling to North America in recent years. He played soccer professionally before an injury cut short his career. He had a big impact on Alex Ovechkin's professional hockey career along with Alex's mother, Tatyana, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for the Soviet Union in women's basketball (1976 and 1980). They helped spark Ovechkin's love of hockey from a young age.

Paul Jerrard

Feb. 15 (age 57)

The former NHL assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche (2002-03), Dallas Stars (2011-13) and Flames (2016-18) fought a long battle with cancer, according to the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he was an assistant since May 2018. The Winnipeg native and former defenseman was selected by the New York Rangers in the ninth round (No. 173) of the 1983 NHL Draft and played five games for the Minnesota North Stars in 1988-89. He won the Calder Cup with Hershey of the American Hockey League in 1996-97, his final season as a pro player.

Don Blackburn

Feb. 17 (age 84)

Played six NHL seasons as a forward for the Boston Bruins, Flyers, Rangers, Islanders and North Stars, and three in the World Hockey Association with the New England Whalers. He was named the first coach of the Hartford Whalers when they joined the NHL for the 1979-80 season, when they were 27-34-19 and swept by the Canadiens in the best-of-5 preliminary round of the playoffs. Blackburn was fired 60 games into the 1980-81 season by the 15-29-6 Whalers and replaced by Larry Pleau.

Dave Gardner

March 20 (age 70)

The forward was the No. 8 pick by the Canadiens in the 1972 NHL Draft and had 190 points (75 goals, 115 assists) in 350 games for Montreal, the St. Louis Blues, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons and Flyers. His father, Cal Gardner, played 696 NHL games from 1945-57 and brother, Paul Gardner, 447 from 1976-86. Dave won the 1971 Red Tilson Trophy voted as the Most Valuable Player in the OHL and shared the 1972 Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy with Billy Harris after they co-led what was the Ontario Hockey Association with 129 points.

Kenny Girard

April 1 (age 86)

The forward was a two-time Memorial Cup champion with the Toronto Marlboros of the OHA (1955, '56), had one assist in seven games for the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1956 and 1960 and played most of his career in the AHL before retiring in 1961-62 at the age of 23. Girard became a member of the PGA of Canada, won the PGA Senior Championship in 1999 and was inducted into the PGA of Ontario Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021.

Raymond Sawada

April 10 (age 38)

The Stars chose the forward in the second round (No. 52) of the 2004 NHL Draft. He had one goal in 11 NHL games. Sawada played four seasons at Cornell University, where he had 76 points (31 goals, 45 assists) in 137 games and was co-captain his senior season. He signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Stars on March 28, 2008, and scored a goal in his NHL debut, a 4-2 win against the Oilers at American Airlines Center on Feb. 19, 2009, his 24th birthday. He played 287 AHL games for Iowa, Manitoba and St. John's before retiring after the 2012-13 season.

Andy Eide

April 14 (age 53)

Eide was NHL.com's Seattle Kraken independent correspondent who had a brain bleed (stroke) March 18 before the Kraken played the Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena. He began writing about Seattle hockey in 2012, covering the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. When the city was awarded an NHL franchise Dec. 4, 2018, Eide moved to NHL coverage for NHL.com, the official Kraken website, Seattle Sports and the Sound of the Hockey. In addition to writing about hockey, Eide also had a hockey podcast, appeared on Seattle Sports broadcasts and was a TV analyst for the Thunderbirds.

Petr Klima

May 4 (age 58)

Klima's goal at 15:13 of the third overtime gave the Oilers a 3-2 win against the Bruins in Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final and ended the longest game in the history of the series, which was delayed 26 minutes by a power outage. He was benched earlier in the game before beating Bruins goalie Andy Moog in the opening game of the best-of-7 series won by the Oilers in five, their only NHL championship in the post-Wayne Gretzky era. Detroit's fifth-round pick (No. 86) in the 1983 NHL Draft was part of a Red Wings draft class that included future Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, current Islanders coach Lane Lambert, Bob Probert and Joey Kocur. He was traded to the Oilers with Adam Graves, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples on Nov. 2, 1989, for Jimmy Carson, Kevin McClelland and a fifth-round pick in the 1991 NHL Draft. Klima played the final two seasons of his NHL career for the Oilers and Red Wings, and retired from the League after playing 13 games in 1998-99.

Vic Stasiuk

May 7 (age 93)

The forward had his best NHL seasons for the Bruins between 1955-61. He was traded to Boston by the Red Wings on June 3, 1955, after helping Detroit win three Stanley Cup titles (1952, 1954, 1955). In Boston, Stasiuk reunited with Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath to form the ‘Uke Line’, which began when they played together for Edmonton of the WHL, and in 1957-58 became the first line to have all three players each score at least 20 goals in one season. Stasiuk had at least 20 goals in each season from 1957-60, and 291 points (125 goals, 166 assists) in 378 games for the Bruins before he was traded back to the Red Wings on Jan. 23, 1961. He later won 307 games as an NHL coach for the Flyers, Golden Seals, and Canucks and was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Rick Sadowski

April 27 (age 71)

Sadowski wrote for the Rocky Mountain News covering the Avalanche and the University of Denver hockey team before joining NHL.com as an independent correspondent following the paper's closure. His career began in 1979 with the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and Los Angeles Daily News covering the NHL, Los Angeles Kings, California Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. Sadowski wrote two books ("Los Angeles Kings: Hockeywood" and the "Los Angeles Kings 1990-91 Yearbook"), covered three Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City 2002, Nagano 1998, Turin 2006) and won writing awards from the Colorado Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Denver Newspaper Guild.

Gerry Hart

May 13 (age 75)

The undrafted defenseman was selected by the Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft after four seasons with the Red Wings. A native of Flin Flon, Manitoba, Hart became a crowd favorite at Nassau Coliseum with his physical presence and style. He had 12 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 47 games for the expansion Islanders and had his best NHL seasons beginning with New York's first playoff appearance in 1974-75, peaking with NHL career highs of 23 assists, 25 points and a plus-44 rating in 1977-78. Hart was claimed by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1979 expansion draft, the season the Islanders would win the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. He was traded to the Blues on Nov. 12, 1980, and retired eight games into the 1982-83 season at age 33 because of knee and clavicle injuries. Hart returned to Long Island and opened The Rinx recreation complex in Hauppauge, New York, in October 1992.

Marv Edwards

May 20 (age 88)

"Marvelous Marv" played 1,148 games as a goalie for 22 teams in 11 leagues, 61 in the NHL for the Penguins, Maple Leafs and Golden Seals between 1969 and 1974. He began his NHL career with the Penguins on Feb. 20, 1969, making 30 saves in a 3-0 loss to the Red Wings at Detroit Olympia. He won gold for Canada at the 1959 IIHF World Championship, earning shutouts in each of his two games for Belleville, the senior team chosen to represent his country from his Ontario senior league North Bay Trappers. He retired after playing 14 games for the Golden Seals in 1973-74 and was later coach of Salt Lake City of the Central League and an assistant coach for Peterborough in the OHL.

Bob Brind'Amour

June 1 (age 78)

The father of Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour was remembered by general manager Don Waddell as "a wonderful husband, father and grandfather who lit up every room he entered with passion, humor and energy. He kept working as a pipe fitter in Campbell River, British Columbia, well into Rod's NHL career and it's clear he passed that relentless work ethic down to his children." Rod honored his father after Sebastian Aho scored a series-ending overtime goal for a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the 2021 Stanley Cup First Round, putting him on speaker phone and the players singing "Happy Birthday."

Willie Marshall

June 2 (age 91)

The forward is regarded as one of the greatest players to skate for the Hershey Bears and in AHL history. He's sixth in team history with 570 points (226 goals, 344 assists) in 439 games, first in league history in games played (1,205), goals (523), assists (852) and points (1,375), and second with 119 points (48 goals, 71 assists) in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Bears retired Marshall's No. 16 with Mitch Lamoureux on Oct. 2, 1999, and in 2004 the AHL created the Willie Marshall Award given to the leading goal-scorer in the regular season. Marshall played 33 games for the Maple Leafs in the 1950s. He was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a member of the inaugural class of the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame in 2012.

Billy MacMillan

July 15 (age 80)

An NHL forward, the first coach in New Jersey Devils history and an assistant on Al Arbour's staff when the Islanders won the 1979-80 Stanley Cup. He left the Islanders after he was hired as coach of the Colorado Rockies, going 22-45 with 13 ties in 1980-81, and was promoted to general manager with Bert Marshall taking over as coach. MacMillan coached again when the franchise relocated to New Jersey for the 1982-83 season, when the Devils (17-49 with 14 ties) finished fifth in the Patrick Division. He was fired as coach and GM after beginning the 1983-84 season 2-18. MacMillan played for Canada's bronze-medal winning team at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics and didn't reach the NHL until the age of 27. As a rookie with the Maple Leafs in 1970-71, MacMillan had what would be his best NHL season, 22 goals and 41 points in 76 games.

Brian O'Neill

July 21 (age 94)

A cornerstone and one of the most essential and impactful figures in the history and development of the NHL since joining its executive offices in 1966. O'Neill, inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1994, arrived as the NHL Director of Administration on April 1, 1966, under then-president Clarence Campbell, and helped oversee the 1967 Expansion Draft and prepare the enlarged regular-season schedule. He was appointed an executive director of the League in 1971 and began to look after the NHL Draft. After Campbell retired in 1977, O'Neill was named executive vice president and took over all player disciplinary cases, administered the NHL offices in Montreal and supervised League security. He stepped down Sept. 30, 1992, to become a consultant and continued to be a Trustee of the Stanley Cup, an honor given to him in 1988.

Joe Kowal

July 25 (age 67)

The forward played 22 games for the Sabres after he was taken in the second round (No. 33) of the 1976 NHL Draft. Kowal's hockey career continued in the AHL, where he played for Hershey, Broome, Springfield, Rochester and Nova Scotia until retiring after the 1980-81 season. He had a career-high 48 points for Broome in 1978-79 and career bests of 20 goals and 66 games for Rochester in 1979-80.

W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz

July 25 (age 70)

The principal owner and chairman of the Blackhawks was the grandson of Arthur Wirtz, who bought a stake in the franchise in 1950 and acquired outright ownership of it in 1966. His father, Bill Wirtz, owned the team from 1983-2007, when Rocky inherited it after Bill died Sept. 26, 2007. Chicago won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015) during Rocky Wirtz's tenure. In 2007, the Blackhawks made a deal with Comcast SportsNet Chicago (now NBC Sports Chicago) to televise home games, something that hadn’t been done before unless it was nationally televised. Rocky Wirtz also helped mend relationships that were frayed between former players and his father, welcoming back several Hall of Fame players as ambassadors: Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita in December 2007, Tony Esposito in February 2008 and Denis Savard in November 2008. He was a member of the NHL executive and audit/finance committees, led the family's beverage business since 1980, and co-owned the United Center with Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

Bob Murdoch

Aug. 3 (age 76)

The former NHL defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens (1971, 1973) was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's in 2019. Murdoch had 278 points (60 goals, 218 assists) 757 regular-season games during 12 seasons for the Canadiens, Kings and Atlanta/Calgary Flames from 1970-82. He later became a Flames assistant before coaching the Blackhawks (1987-88) and Jets (1989-91). Murdoch won the Jack Adams Award voted as NHL coach of the year in his first season with the Jets in 1989-90, when they improved by 11 wins and 21 points. He was a Sharks assistant from 1991-93 before coaching in Europe.

Gilles Gilbert

Aug. 6 (age 74)

The goalie played 14 NHL seasons (1969-83) for the North Stars, Bruins and Red Wings, going 192-143-60 with a 3.27 goals-against average, .883 save percentage and 18 shutouts in 416 games (397 starts). He gave up Jean Beliveau's 498th, 499th and 500th goals as a rookie with the North Stars on Feb. 11, 1971, was traded to the Bruins on May 22, 1973, after Gerry Cheevers left for the World Hockey Association and helped Boston to the 1974 Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to Philadelphia. Cheevers returned to the Bruins on Feb. 8, 1976, to team with Gilbert and form one of the best goalie duos in the NHL, finishing runners-up for the 1980 Vezina Trophy. Gilbert's 17 playoff wins are sixth in Bruins history. He started a 5-4 loss to the Canadiens in Game 7 of the 1979 NHL Semifinals, giving up the tying goal to Guy Lafleur on the power play at 18:46 of the third period after Boston was penalized for too many men on the ice.

Leigh Verstraete

Aug. 9 (age 61)

The native of Pincher Creek, Alberta, was chosen by the Maple Leafs in the 10th round (No. 192) of the 1982 NHL Draft. Verstraete had one assist in eight NHL games as a forward, and played for St. Catharines and Newmarket in the AHL.

Rodion Amirov

Aug. 14 (age 21)

The Maple Leafs forward prospect and the No. 15 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February 2022. Amirov was honored by the Maple Leafs on Hockey Fights Cancer Night in Toronto before a 2-1 win against the Bruins on Nov. 5, 2022, with players wearing special lavender jerseys and putting lavender tape on their sticks during warmups. Amirov signed his entry-level contract April 15, 2021. He had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in three seasons for Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League, was an alternate captain for fourth-place Russia at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and won silver at the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Bob Baun

Aug. 15 (age 86)  

The defenseman is best known for scoring in overtime while playing on a fractured ankle to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win against the Red Wings in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Final. Baun was injured blocking a shot from Detroit forward Alex Delvecchio at 13:15 of the third period and had to be carried off the ice. His right leg heavily taped and frozen with a hypodermic needle, Baun skipped a puck through traffic at 1:43 of OT to force Game 7; his ankle later placed in a cast for six weeks. ‘Boomer’ had 224 points (37 goals, 187 assists) in 964 regular-season games over 17 seasons for the Maple Leafs, Oakland Seals and Red Wings. The four-time Stanley Cup champion (1961-64, 1967) had 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 96 playoff games. His five points (two goals, three assists) in the 1964 playoffs were second on Toronto’s Cup-winning team behind Allan Stanley's seven.

Rick Jeanneret

Aug. 17 (age 81)

"RJ" called Sabres games on the radio beginning Oct. 10, 1971, their second season in the NHL, joined the television broadcast in 1995, retired following the 2021-22 season and was Buffalo's broadcaster emeritus last season. His signature calls included "La-la-la-la-Fontaine!" for Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine, "Scary Good," "Top Shelf Where Mama Hides the Cookies" and "May Day" after Brad May's overtime goal gave Buffalo a 6-5 win against Boston and a four-game sweep in the 1993 Adams Division Semifinals, its first playoff series win in 10 years. Jeanneret is a member of the Sabres Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame as the recipient of the 2012 Foster Hewitt Award, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Township of Terrace Bay, Ontario's Sports Wall of Fame and an honorary member of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. He is one of 11 members of the Sabres organization to have a banner raised to the rafters of KeyBank Center in his honor.

Brad Maxwell

Sept. 3 (age 66)

The defenseman played 613 regular-season games between 1977-87 for the North Stars, Nordiques, Maple Leafs, Canucks and Rangers, finishing his NHL career in Minnesota with 17 games in 1986-87. Maxwell played 79 playoff games and helped the North Stars in their run to the 1981 Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Islanders. The native of Brandon, Manitoba, had 368 points (98 goals, 270 assists) and 1,292 penalty minutes, and 61 points (12 goals, 49 assists) and 178 penalty minutes in the playoffs. He played for Canada three times in the IIHF World Championship (1978, 1979, 1982).

Henry Boucha

Sept. 18 (age 72)

‘The Chief’ was a center chosen by Detroit in the second round (No. 16) of the 1971 NHL Draft. He had 102 points (53 goals, 49 assists) in 247 games for the Red Wings, North Stars, Kansas City Scouts and Rockies, and played the 1975-76 season for Minnesota of the WHA (35 points; 15 goals, 20 assists). Boucha played for the United States at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics and scored in his first NHL game, a 5-4 Red Wings victory against the Maple Leafs on Feb. 22, 1972. His second cousin is Capitals forward T.J. Oshie.

Nicolas Kerdiles

Sept. 23 (age 29)

The forward was a second-round pick (No. 36) of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2012 NHL Draft and the first player from Orange County, California, to skate for the organization. Kerdiles played three NHL games and 181 AHL games for Norfolk, San Diego and Manitoba. The Lewisville, Texas, native helped the USA Hockey National Team Development Program under-17 team win silver at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the under-18 team gold at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Kerdiles played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin and helped the Badgers win the Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA champions as a freshman.

Chris Snow

Sept. 30 (age 42)

The Flames assistant general manager since Sept. 26, 2019, died less than a week after his wife, Kelsie, said that he had become unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest. She added that paramedics were able to get his heart beating again, but he "suffered a catastrophic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen." Snow received his diagnosis in June 2019, not long after losing his father, two uncles and a cousin to ALS. At 37, he was told to do what brings him joy. That meant continuing to work for the Flames by doing research and making recommendations for contract negotiations, free agency and the NHL Draft. Snow first joined Calgary as a director of hockey analysis in 2011 following his time as director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild from 2006-10. Before entering team management, he worked as an NHL and MLB beat writer, covering the Wild for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Globe. He began his sports writing career at NHL.com.

Dunc Wilson

Oct. 8 (age 75)

Played 10 NHL seasons (1969-79) as a goalie for the Flyers, Canucks, Maple Leafs, Rangers and Penguins. He debuted with 23 saves in a 3-2 Flyers loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at the Spectrum on Feb. 26, 1970, and then was taken by the Canucks in the 1970 expansion draft. He went 80-150 with 32 ties, a 3.75 GAA, .883 save percentage and eight shutouts in 287 NHL games. Wilson played two seasons each for the Rangers and Penguins, and returned to the Canucks to finish his NHL career in 1978-79. He is eighth in Canucks history in games played by a goalie (148), two behind Ryan Miller, and made 34 saves in a 0-0 tie with the Maple Leafs on Oct. 27, 1971, to give Vancouver its first-ever shutout. Wilson’s "rebellious spirit," said the NHL Alumni Association, had him playing professional lacrosse before he was advised to focus on hockey.

Ed Sandford

Oct. 25 (age 95)

The forward was Boston's oldest living captain. Sandford played eight seasons for the Bruins during the Original Six period of the NHL and was captain in 1954-55. He played the NHL All-Star Game from 1951-55, led the 1953 playoffs with 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 11 games and had an NHL career-high 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 70 games during the 1953-54 season. The Bruins traded Sandford to the Red Wings on June 3, 1955, in a nine-player deal, the largest in NHL history at the time. He played five games for Detroit, was traded to Chicago and retired after the 1955-56 season. On Sept. 12, the Bruins named Sandford among the "Historic 100," a list of the 100 most legendary players in team history as voted upon by an independent committee of journalists and media members, historians and members of the hockey community.

Adam Johnson

Oct. 28 (age 29)

A forward who played 13 games for the Penguins from 2018-19, died of what his Elite Ice Hockey League team in England called a "freak accident" on the ice during a game for Nottingham at Sheffield, reportedly caused by a collision with another player that resulted in a cut to the neck from a skate. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota, native went undrafted after playing two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins on July 6. 2017, and that season had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 70 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. Johnson had two assists in six games for the Penguins in 2018-19 and one goal and one assist in seven NHL games the next season. His lone NHL goal came in a 7-4 win at the Wild on Oct. 12, 2019. After the Penguins, Johnson played for Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League, and returned to North America to play in the AHL for Ontario (Kings) and Lehigh Valley (Flyers). Last season, he played for Augsburger in Germany before joining Nottingham.

Roman Cechmanek

Nov. 12 (age 52)

The goalie was chosen by the Flyers in the sixth round (No. 171) of the 2000 NHL Draft when he was 29. As a rookie, Cechmanek was runner-up for the 2001 Vezina Trophy given to the best at his position and fourth in Hart Trophy voting for League MVP after going 35-15 with 6 ties and a 2.01 GAA, .921 save percentage and 10 shutouts. He shared the Jennings Trophy with Flyers teammate Robert Esche and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur in 2002-03, when Philadelphia and New Jersey each allowed an NHL-low 166 goals and Cechmanek was 33-15 with 10 ties and a 1.83 GAA, .925 save percentage and six shutouts. He was 110-64 with 28 ties and a 2.08 GAA, .919 save percentage and 25 shutouts in 212 games for the Flyers and Kings.

Hartland Monahan

Dec. 9 (age 72)

The forward was chosen by California in the fourth round (No. 43) of the 1971 NHL Draft and had 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 334 NHL games for the Golden Seals, Rangers, Capitals, Penguins, Kings and Blues from 1973-81. Monahan's father-in-law was Hall of Famer Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion and his son, Shane Monahan, played two seasons for the Seattle Mariners (1998, '99).

Gene Carr

Dec. 13 (age 72)

Played eight NHL seasons as a forward and had 215 points (79 goals, 136 assists) in 465 games for the Blues, Rangers, Kings, Penguins and Atlanta Flames, and 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 35 playoff games. The Nanaimo, British Columbia, native was chosen by the Blues with the No. 4 pick in the 1971 NHL Draft. Carr's best NHL season was 1977-78, when he had 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 75 games for the Kings and Penguins. During his time in Los Angeles, Carr became friendly with Glenn Frey of the iconic rock band The Eagles; Frey would sometimes wear Carr's No. 12 Kings jersey during concert performances.