Former Montreal Canadiens Defenseman Lyle Odelein Passes Away

Lyle Odelein was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round (141st overall) of the 186 NHL Entry Draft. The Quill Lake, Saskatchewan native went on to score score 25 goals and 75 assists and  in 420 NHL regular season games with the ‘Bleu, Blanc, Et Rouge’ and helped them win a Stanley Cup in 1993. Odelein had one goal and five assists in 20 Stanley Cup playoffs games during that 1993 run to the Stanley Cup for the Canadiens. He finished that postseason with a plus 9 and had 30 penalty minutes.

He would finish his career with 50 goals and 202 assists in 1,056 NHL regular season and five goals and 13 assists in 85 Stanley Cup Playoffs games. Odelein currently ranks 30th in NHL history in penalty minutes with 2316 minutes in the sin-bin. He ranks second in Montreal Canadiens history with 1,357 penalty minutes, leading the team in that category in each of his six seasons with the team.

During the Habs Tonight Pregame show here on the Sick Media Network, co-host of The Eye Test Podcast, as well as Sens Spotlight Podcast, and longtime NHL analyst the Pierre McGuire remembered Odelein, who he became friends with over his years around the NHL.

“Every visit I ever had with him was so much fun,” McGuire told cohosts of Habs Tonight Pregame Shayne Gaumond and Brandon Legacy.

“He was always smiling; he was always happy, except when you’d watch him fight. You wouldn’t want to be fighting against him because he was about as tough as any guy he’d ever fight..”

In addition to playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Lyle Odelein played for the New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins.