There is sad news to report on Tuesday morning with the passing of former NHL forward Kyle Calder, who spent part of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, at the age of 47.
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The unfortunate news was confirmed by his daughter, Madison Calder, with a heartfelt post on Instagram.
Born in 1979 in Mannville, Alberta, Calder broke into the game with the WHL’s Regina Pats before eventually being selected in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 1997 NHL Draft. He would continue his career playing with the IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks before eventually transitioning to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals.
He would play several years as a member of the Blackhawks, which included a stint in the SHL with Södertälje SK during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout.
His time in Chicago ended in 2006 when he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Michal Handzus. As part of a three-team trade, he would be sent back to Chicago at the 2007 NHL Trade Deadline, who immediately flipped him to the Red Wings in return for Jason Williams.
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Ironically, Calder’s first game as a Red Wing took place in Chicago at United Center against the Blackhawks, and he scored a goal just 1:45 into the contest, converting on a centering feed from Johan Franzen.
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He played in 19 total regular season games with the Red Wings, scoring five goals with nine assists. He also had an assist in 13 postseason games as Detroit advanced to the Western Conference Final.
Not retained by the Red Wings after the 2007 postseason, he signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings. He would spend time with both the Kings and the Anaheim Ducks organizations, and later played 13 games in the KHL with Barys Astana.
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In 590 career NHL games, Calder scored 114 goals with 180 assists, and added two goals and one assist in 18 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
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