- Snow was diagnosed in December 2019 but continued to work for the Flames
- The family donated his organs, according to a social media post from his widow
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Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow has died due to complications from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
His widow Kelsie posted a heartwarming photo of the smiling couple with their two children.
“Today we hugged Chris for the last time and said goodbye as he went to give four people the gift of life by donating his kidneys, liver and lungs,” she wrote, referring to the family’s decision to donate his organs . ‘We are deeply broken and deeply proud. In life and death, Chris never stopped giving. We walk forward as His light guides us.”
Snow was diagnosed in December 2019 but has continued to work for the franchise in recent years. He recently suffered a brain injury from the condition, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
The Flames honored Snow with a video tribute prior to Friday’s preseason game.
His widow Kelsie posted a heartwarming photo of the smiling couple with their two children
Snow has been with the Flames since 2011 after spending time with the Minnesota Wild
However, on Wednesday Kelsie announced that his condition had deteriorated.
“It is with a broken heart that I come to tell you that Chris became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest,” Kelsie wrote.
‘Paramedics and doctors were able to get his heart beating again, but devastatingly a scan revealed that Chris has suffered a catastrophic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen. His doctors don’t expect him to wake up from this.
‘My chest feels open and hollowed out. Chris is the most beautiful, brilliant person I will ever know and life without him feels untenable. Hug your people.”
At the time of his diagnosis, doctors gave Snow, now 42, one year to live.
Boston.com said in an article about Snow earlier this year that his father, two uncles and a cousin all died of ALS, in which a specific mutation runs through the family.
The hockey manager and his wife Kelsie share children Cohen and Willa.
Snow poses with his wife Kelsie and children Cohen, 10, and Willa, 7, at the 2022 NHL Awards
Snow throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Red Sox and Rays
“We cannot convey the impact Chris has on our organization, not only in his work, but in the leadership and positivity he brings,” the Flames said on social media earlier this week.
“Despite his own challenges, he is a beacon of light, lifting all of us around him. Our hearts are with Kelsie, Cohen and Willa as Chris continues to fight.”
Snow, a former sports journalist, moved to the NHL years ago. He served as director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild from 2006 to 2010 and joined the Flames in 2011 as director of hockey analytics.
The Massachusetts native was promoted to assistant general manager in September 2019.
