Former defenseman Lyle Odelein has died at 58 after suffering a heart attack on Friday night, according to King Jemison of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Odelein spent 16 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. His pro career started in 1986 when Montreal took him 141st overall, in the seventh round, out of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
He did not make his NHL debut until the 1989-90 season, and even then he spent much of that year with the AHL’s Sherbrooke Canadiens. From the 1990-91 campaign on, though, he was in the league full time as a defenseman and stayed there.
Odelein built a reputation as an enforcer, and he wore it proudly. Jacques Lemaire, the Canadiens’ legendary coach, helped turn him into a more reliable defenseman, which lengthened his career. At the same time, Odelein never lost the edge that made him so difficult to play against.
His biggest moments came in Montreal. He was part of the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup win in 1993 over the Los Angeles Kings, and the following season turned into the best statistical year of his career. In 1993-94, Odelein put up 11 goals and 40 points in 79 games, finished at plus-8, and piled up 276 penalty minutes.
His run in Quebec ended not long after that. Montreal traded him to the Devils before the 1996-97 season in a deal for Stéphane Richer.
Odelein then logged four solid years in New Jersey before being moved to the Phoenix Coyotes at the deadline. A few months later, the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
That stretch with New Jersey was the last long run of stability in his career. Over the next five seasons, he bounced around to five different teams before returning after the 2005-06 season. Along the way, he also became the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history.
Odelein’s career line closed at 50 goals and 252 points in 1,056 games, with a plus-29 rating and 2,316 penalty minutes.
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