Sask. Stanley Cup champion defenceman Lyle Odelein dead at 58

Stanley Cup champion defenceman and Saskatchewan product Lyle Odelein has died at the age of 58.

As reported Saturday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Odelein died from a heart attack overnight on Friday.

Read more:

• ‘He loved the game’: Sask. hockey icon Melrose remembered by cousin, NHL great Clark
• Saskatchewan Roughriders lose 37-31 to Calgary Stampeders
• Saskatoon archer wins Canada’s first world field medal

A native of Quill Lake, Odelein played over 1,000 games in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1989 and 2006.

Odelein won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993 where he registered six points and 30 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games for the Canadiens.

He still ranks second in Canadiens history with 1,357 penalty minutes, while his 2,316 career penalty minutes in 1,056 games ranks 30th in the history of the NHL.

A junior star with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, Odelein was selected in the seventh round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft and played seven seasons in Montreal.

Following stops in New Jersey and Phoenix, the bruising blueliner was named the first captain in Blue Jackets history ahead of the 2000-01 season after being chosen in the team’s expansion draft.

Odelein also represented Canada at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996, where he suited up in two games and helped the team to a second-place finish.

His older brother Selmar played 18 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers in the mid-1980s, while his younger brother Lee played professionally in Europe.

Read more:

• ‘He loved the game’: Sask. hockey icon Melrose remembered by cousin, NHL great Clark
• Saskatchewan Roughriders lose 37-31 to Calgary Stampeders
• Saskatoon archer wins Canada’s first world field medal