Former NHL defenseman Tom Kurvers has passed away.

We have some very sad news to report.

According to an announcement made this morning by former National Hockey League centerman Pat Micheletti, long time former NHL player turned NHL executive Tom Kurvers has passed away at the young age of just 58 years old. Kurvers had been enduring a long fight with lung cancer, a disease that has claimed far too many lives far too early, and we are sad to report that it would appear Kurvers has lost that battle. He was originally diagnosed with the disease all the way back in January of 2019, so he put up one hell of a fight before eventually succumbing to the disease. We take some small comfort in the fact that Kurvers is no longer in pain and may finally rest peacefully after his difficult battle.

Fans at the National Hockey League level will no doubt best remember Kurvers as a Stanley Cup Champion, a title he earned as a member of the 1986 Montreal Canadiens, but Kurvers also left his mark at every level of hockey. He was named the Hobey Baker Award winner in 1984 as the best player in all of collegiate hockey that year.

Something of a journeyman throughout his career in the NHL, Kurvers played for several teams during his time in the league. He began his career with the aforementioned Canadiens but also spent time with the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and even the Anaheim Mighty Ducks as they were known at that time.

Overall his career as a player in the NHL spanned a total of 659 games and despite his journeyman status he put up solid numbers from the blue line finishing his career with 93 goals and 328 assists for a combined total of 421 points over that stretch.

His time in the NHL was not limited to playing on the ice however, he also spent time as an executive in the league first becoming a director of player personnel for the then Phoenix Coyotes and eventually taking on bigger roles elsewhere as an assistant general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning and most recently as an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Wild.

Kurvers is survived by his wife Heather and their four children, and our thoughts are with them, the Kurvers family, and his friends and loved ones at this time.