Before their preseason game on Friday night, the Flames held an emotional tribute to executive Chris Snow.
The Calgary assistant general manager, who has battled ALS since 2019, suffered a “catastrophic brain injury” after going into cardiac arrest Tuesday.
Snow, 42, has been on life support but is not expected to wake up from the tragic incident.
Before the Flames took on the Oilers at Scotiabank Saddledome, the team held a tribute on the video board that started off with a picture of Snow and the text #SnowyStrong before going into his life and legacy with the hockey franchise.
“The Calgary Flames and the entire hockey community are devastated that one of our own, Chris Snow, has been placed on life support with no hope of waking following his battle with ALS,” a voiceover for a video tribute said.
Snow joined the organization in 2011 and worked his way up the ladder to assistant GM, and his impact was called “immeasurable,” in the video.
He was also credited with growing the team’s hockey research and development department.
The video also noted his ALS fight, which he fought with “grace and courage” despite only being given a short time to live after his diagnosis four years ago.
After the video concluded, the team held a moment of applause instead of a moment of silence to honor his life and legacy, and the crowd followed with a loud ovation as starting players from both teams tapped their sticks on the ice.
Earlier in the week, Flames GM Craig Conroy addressed the health situation as he fought back tears.
“Our good friend Chris Snow had a medical emergency [on Tuesday] and he’s been battling ALS for five years and he’s in another battle right now,” Conroy said during a press conference with Flames team captain Mikael Backlund on Wednesday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris, Kelsie, [and their children] Cohen and Willa.
“I’ve never heard him complain once about this through these five years and it just doesn’t seem right not to have Snowy here with me.”
On Wednesday, Snow’s wife, Kelsie, posted on X that doctors don’t expect Snow to wake up after he suffered cardiac arrest.
On Thursday, she said he was still on life support.
“Tests yesterday confirmed that Chris will not wake up,” she wrote. “In life, Chris offered his body to a clinical trial to help others. In death he will do the same. He remains on life support while organ donation is arranged. We are so proud of him.”
Before joining the Flames, Snow was director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild from 2006-10.