Lyle Odelein, who played more than 1,000 NHL games and was the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history, died Friday. He was 58.
The former defenseman played 16 NHL seasons from 1989-2006, including seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, who selected him in the seventh round (No. 141) of the 1986 NHL Draft.
Odelein won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1993 when he had six points (one goal, five assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He had 252 points (50 goals, 202 assists) in 1,056 regular-season games for the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins and 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 86 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Odelein was claimed by the Blue Jackets from the Coyotes in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft prior to Colombus' first season in the NHL. He was named their first captain prior to the 2000-01 season, a role he held for two seasons before he was traded to the Blackhawks in March of 2020.
