Former Regina Pats and NHL player Kyle Calder dead at 47 after brief illness

Former Regina Pats player Kyle Calder has died after a brief illness, with the hockey community mourning the loss of the former Pat and NHL veteran.

Kyle Calder, a hockey player who spent his major junior career with the Regina Pats, has died after a brief illness according to his family.

His daughter Madison announced her father’s death in a post on social media.

“Dad, there will never ever be enough words in the world to describe how incredibly lucky I was to have you as my dad. Never in a million years would I have thought this day would come. There will forever be a void in my heart, but forever a spot just for you,” Madison Calder said.

Calder spent four seasons with the Regina Pats from 1995 to 1999 before being traded to the Kamloops Blazers to close out his career in major junior.

The Pats said in a post online that the team extended its deepest condolences to the Calder family.

He went on to play 608 regular season and playoff games in the National Hockey League from 1999 to 2009.

Most of that time was spent with Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

“Today, we mourn not only a respected former NHL player but a cherished teammate, friend, and member of our hockey brotherhood,” the NHL Alumni Association said in a social media post.

“Kyle embodied the values that make our alumni family so special: his loyalty, toughness, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to those around him. He was tough as nails on the ice, a fierce competitor who never backed down, yet behind that grit was a teddy bear heart.”

Calder was 47.