Melrose Native, Calgary Flames Assistant GM Chris Snow Dies At 42

CALGARY, AB — Tributes continue to pour in for Chris Snow, the Melrose, Massachusetts native and Calgary Flames assistant general manager, who died over the weekend after a public battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Snow was 42 years old and leaves behind his wife Kelsie and two children.

Chris Snow was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, in 2019. The disease attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body. Originally, doctors expected Snow to succumb to the disease in around 12 months, but he ended up living with ALS for over four years.

Kelsie Snow had indicated on social media last week that her husband had gone into cardiac arrest caused by a catastrophic brain injury from a lack of oxygen.

The Flames organization confirmed Snow's death on Saturday night.

"We, along with the entire hockey community, are mourning the passing of Chris Snow. Even while battling ALS, Chris dedicated his life to helping others and he changed the lives of so many," the Flames said in a statement.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement that Snow was "a remarkable man whose courageous and relentless battle with ALS has been an inspiration to many."

Bettman continued: "An innovative student of our game with an expertise in data analysis, Chris supervised the creation and build out of the Flames' analytics department and was influential in all facets of the club's Hockey Operations decision-making.

"First and foremost, however, he was a beloved husband to Kelsie, a devoted dad to Cohen and Willa, and a friend to everyone in hockey fortunate enough to have met him. The Snows' willingness to share the trials and triumphs of Chris's lengthy ALS journey has inspired so many and profoundly increased awareness of the need to find a cure for this debilitating disease."

Snow grew up in Melrose and attended Syracuse University, graduating in 2003 with a degree in journalism and policy studies.

According to Flames Nation, Snow initially took a job covering the Minnesota Wild for the Minnesota Star Tribune. He then moved to Boston to cover the Red Sox for the Boston Globe during the NHL lockout in 2004-05.

Snow was hired as the Minnesota Wild's director of hockey operations in 2006 and he joined the Flames front office as an analyst in 2010. After working as the director of statistical and video analysis for eight years and the director of hockey analysis for one year, he was promoted to assistant general manager in 2020.

Ryan Pike, who covers the Flames for Flames Nation, paid tribute to Snow in that online publication.

"Some smart people try to get everybody around them to know how smart they are; Chris was a smart person who was supremely humble, engaging, friendly and curious about everything around him, and that made him somebody that was a pleasure and a privilege to know," Pike wrote.

Pike continued: "Chris left the Flames organization in a better place than he found it, and leaves a profound positive impact on all those who knew him. If we're all judged by how we react when times get tough, few could have faced the toughest parts of life with as much grace, dignity and courageousness as Chris (and his family) have. Our profound condolences are with Chris's family, friends and all that knew him."