Odelein dies at 58, was first Blue Jackets captain

MONTREAL -- Lyle Odelein, a rugged, hard-hitting defenseman who won the 1993 Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens then went on to become the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history, died Friday. He was 58.

The 6-foot, 212-pound native of Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, valiantly battled myriad, life-threatening health issues eight years ago, undergoing the replacement of his heart’s aortic valve and receiving a new liver and kidneys in a marathon surgical procedure on April 4, 2018, in Pittsburgh.

Odelein played 1,056 NHL games, scoring 252 points (50 goals, 202 assists) for the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins while racking up 2,316 penalty minutes, which ranks 30th in the NHL. He would play 86 playoff games, scoring 18 points (five goals, 13 assists). His best season came with Montreal in 1993-94 (11 goals, 29 assists in 79 games).

The Canadiens’ seventh-round 1986 NHL Draft selection (No. 141) from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, Odelein would be a strong presence on Montreal’s blue line for 420 games from his debut late in the season in 1989-90 through 1995-96. He skated another 52 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Canadiens over five seasons.

Odelein was traded to the Devils on Aug. 22, 1996, in exchange for sniper Stephane Richer. He played 285 games with the Devils before being traded to the Coyotes on March 7, 2000, about three months later selected from the Coyotes by the Blue Jackets in the June 23, 2000, NHL Expansion Draft.

The Blue Jackets named the veteran the first captain in franchise history, Odelein on the move again to the Blackhawks via trade on March 19, 2002. Chicago would deal him to the Stars on March 10, 2003, then he’d sign as a free agent to play for the Panthers (2003-04) and Penguins (2005-06), where a knee injury would ultimately lead to the end of his NHL career.

Odelein took part in a special Bell Centre ceremony on Oct. 11, 2018, a home-opener celebration of the team’s 1993 Stanley Cup title. It was the 24th and most recent of the team’s championships – the first won in the National Hockey Association, the next 23 in the NHL.

Speaking to reporters outside a suite in the Montreal arena, Odelein expressed joy that he was still alive, much less able to attend a ceremony with former teammates.​

His body had taken a bad turn with a blood infection in early March 2018, which Odelein thought he’d contracted after being pricked by cactus needles during an Arizona golf outing with friends.

He was placed in a medically induced coma for nearly a month and a half and was given very little chance to emerge from it, given concerns following surgery that took nearly 24 hours to perform.

A feature in The Athletic detailed Odelein’s slow recovery, from his neck-down paralysis with no ability to speak, through his speech returning, his transfer to a rehabilitation facility that June and his return to his Pittsburgh home in July.

Well out of a wheelchair when he returned to his first NHL city for the Canadiens’ 1993 Cup tribute, Odelein was walking with a cane, back at his playing weight after he’d lost 75 pounds during his illness and rehab. He received a tremendous ovation when he was introduced to Bell Centre fans, attending the game with his wife, Laurel.

"I don't remember a lot because I was in a coma and paralyzed from my neck down," Odelein said, his story detailed in a Montreal Gazette feature from an interview done shortly before his arrival for the ceremony. 

“There's stuff that I didn't even know that they were doing and neither did my wife, actually. It was really hard. Now I'm walking around with a cane and stuff, but things are going really, really well.

"It's unbelievable. I can tell you one thing, there is a God. I had a five percent chance to live and if it wasn't for my wife, I wouldn't be here today."

Odelein gave credit to goalie Patrick Roy for the Canadiens’ remarkable 1993 championship, Montreal winning 10 consecutive overtime games, and he spoke with great affection for Roy and teammates Kirk Muller, Mike Keane and captain Guy Carbonneau, the latter hoisting the Stanley Cup on Montreal Forum ice on June 9, 1993, presented the trophy by new NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“I grew up in Saskatchewan as a Canadiens fan, so playing there for 6 1/2 years was ... wow!” Odelein told The Gazette. “It was so special. The French people treated me like a god. I can't say enough about Montreal. It is by far my favorite city, best memories in the world. 

“For me to be there (at the ceremony) is just awesome. I just want to say thank you so much to the fans and God bless. Everybody in Montreal treated me like a king. I don't even know what to say. Montreal was my city. It was phenomenal.

"I feel basically so blessed that I've been given a new life. It's great."