Blue Jackets inaugural captain Lyle Odelein passes away at 58

Lyle Odelein, the captain of the Blue Jackets for their inaugural season in Columbus, has passed away at age 58. According to reports from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the long-time NHL defenseman suffered a heart attack overnight.

Originally a 7th round draft pick (#141 overall) at the 1986 NHL Draft, Lyle debuted with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1989-90 season. He would spend 7 seasons in Montreal before heading to the New Jersey Devils, spending most of 4 seasons there.

The Devils dealt him at the 1999-00 trade deadline to the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes left him unprotected at the 2000 expansion draft, and he was picked up by the Blue Jackets to become part of the inaugural team.

As an NHL veteran of 721 games to that point, the Blue Jackets opted to make him their team captain for the inaugural season. "Odie" was a perfect choice for a team whose hockey roots pointed to "blood, sweat, and tears".

The Columbus Chill walked so the Blue Jackets could run, so it made sense that their very first captain was a tough, no nonsense defenseman. Lyle built his career around playing a physical stay-at-home style and sticking up for his teammates whenever called upon.

He would spend two seasons with the Jackets, wearing the "C" for all of his 146 games, scoring 5 goals, 33 points, and of course, adding 180 penalty minutes. the team traded him away for Jaroslav Spacek at the 2002 trade deadline.

A remarkable career.

After leaving Columbus, Lyle played parts of four more seasons in the NHL. By the time he hung up his skates for good, he had accrued 1056 regular season games the hard way, picking up 2,316 penalty minutes along the way; the 30th-most in NHL history.

Blue Jackets fans old enough to remember him on the ice, will attest that he was a terrific ambassador for this team right out of the gate. But, even those who never saw him on the ice speak fondly of the person off of it.

Lyle made a gigantic impact during his brief time in Columbus, which says a lot about his character. He represented an expansion team with the same effort and determination that earned him a spot in the NHL in the first place.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with the Odelein family, and all of their close friends and relatives today. Gone way too soon. Rest in piece, Lyle.

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