Ex-Avalanche Chris Simon’s death a focus of CTE risk in NHL | Colorado Avalanche [Video]

Editor’s note: The Denver Gazette presents a three-part investigative series on health after hockey for NHL players. Part I examines the life and death of Colorado Avalanche enforcer Chris Simon.

Chris Simon found peace on the north shore of Lake Superior, where pristine beaches meet lush forests, rocky bluffs, and clear waterfalls in the same Canadian wilderness of his native ancestors.

He found pain on the ice.

Long dark hair that spilled from his helmet and covered the name on his jersey symbolized Ojibwa roots in Wawa, Ontario, where Simon grew up hunting and fishing. Bravery. Sacrifice. Humility. The same principles guiding his native culture also defined his role in the National Hockey League.

Simon played in 15 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche. He stood taller than 6-foot-3 in skates with jackhammers for fists. He used them to beat anyone with unholy retribution who broke the hockey code or targeted captain Joe …