Lyle Odelein, the rugged defenseman who helped lift the Stanley Cup in Montreal and wore the first captain’s “C” in Columbus Blue Jackets history, died Friday at age 58.
Odelein put together a 16-season NHL career from 1989 through 2006, skating in 1,056 regular-season games and another 86 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens chose him in the seventh round, 141st overall, at the 1986 NHL Draft, and he spent seven seasons with the club that gave him his start.
His defining spring came in 1993, when Montreal won the Stanley Cup. Odelein contributed one goal and five assists across 20 postseason games during that championship run.
Over his NHL career, Odelein recorded 50 goals and 202 assists for 252 points. He played for the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins. In playoff action, he posted five goals and 13 assists for 18 points.
Columbus selected Odelein from Phoenix in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft ahead of the franchise’s inaugural season. He was then chosen as the Blue Jackets’ first captain before the 2000-01 campaign, holding the role for two seasons. He was later traded to Chicago in March 2020.
