First Captain Of The Columbus Blue Jackets Passes Away At 58

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that former Columbus Blue Jackets captain Lyle Odelein has passed away at the age of 58. 

It's reported that he died of a heart attack on Friday night. 

Selected in the expansion draft by the Blue Jackets in 2000, Odelein signed a contract with the CBJ less than a week later and was named the first captain before the CBJ's first season of play. 

During his second season in Columbus, Odelein was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Jaroslav Špaček.   

Odelein scored five goals and had 28 assists in his 146 games for the Blue Jackets. He totaled 252 points in 1056 NHL games. 

In March 2018, Odelein was hospitalized and diagnosed with critical illness polyneuropathy after falling into a coma and suffering paralysis. Odelein underwent a heart valve, liver, and kidney transplant at Allegheny General Hospital in Pennsylvania. He was released from a rehabilitation facility in July 2018 and was walking unaided by September 2018. 

Our thoughts go out to the Odelein family.