Eleven days after Chris Snow’s tragic passing, the Calgary Flames held an emotional tribute to their late executive Wednesday night before their season opener.
The 42-year-old Snow’s family, his wife Kelsie and their two children, 12-year-old son Cohen and 9-year-old daughter Willa, were welcomed to the ice for a ceremonial puck drop before the Flames’ win over the Jets.
Flames captain Mikael Backlund and Jets counterpart Adam Lowry posed for a photo with the the three family members before embracing each of them.
Cohen also send the Flames out for warmups by fist-bumping each player on their way to the ice.
Snow, an assistant general manager for the Flames who was diagnosed with ALS in 2019, died on Sept. 30 from a “catastrophic brain injury” as a result of cardiac arrest.
“I want to thank the Snow family for coming out and dropping the puck,” Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom said after the game, according to Sportsnet. “It’s a lot of emotions. It’s tough to lose a husband and father and they were so strong out there. I think it hit home for a lot of people out there.”
After Snow went into cardiac arrest on Sept. 26, the Flames honored him by showing a three-minute tribute video on the arena’s jumbotron.
Snow joined the organization in 2011 and worked his way up to assistant GM, after spending four years (2006-10) as director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild.
“We will never replace a person like Chris,” said Flames GM Craig Conroy. “We simply pay tribute to him by moving forward with the same passion that he brought to his life each day.”
Kelsie posted a heart-warming tribute of the smiling couple with their two children to Instagram after confirming his passing.
“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,” Kelsie wrote on X on Sept. 30. “We are deeply broken and deeply proud. In life and in death, Chris never stopped giving. We walk forward with his light guiding us.”