Kyle Charles Calder (January 5, 1979 – June 15, 2026)[1] was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.
Playing career
Calder began his career by playing junior hockey for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). After scoring 59 points in his sophomore season, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1997 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. After his fourth season where he scored 88 points between two teams, he was rewarded with his first professional contract.
Calder began his career by playing for the Cleveland Lumberjacks, the Blackhawks’ International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate. He also came up to play in the NHL for the first time that season, playing in eight games. During that time, he also got his first NHL goal.
The following year, after the collapse of the IHL, Calder began and ended his season with the Norfolk Admirals, the Blackhawks’s new American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. For a good portion of the season he played for the Blackhawks themselves, appearing in over forty games.
Starting in the 2001–02 NHL season, Calder stayed in the NHL. During the lockout, he spent a brief time in Sweden. He came back to the NHL stronger than ever that season. He led the Blackhawks in goals, assists, and points.
On August 2, 2006, Calder was awarded a $2.9 million contract for the 2006–07 season by an arbitrator. The Blackhawks decided to accept it,[2] and then on August 4, 2006, Calder was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Michal Handzus.[3] At the trade deadline, the Flyers sent him back to Chicago for a third-round draft pick and Lasse Kukkonen. Chicago immediately sent him to the Detroit Red Wings for Jason Williams.[4] Calder scored his first goal as a Red Wing during his first shift.[5] He signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 2, 2007.
On September 4, 2009, Calder was invited to the Anaheim Ducks training camp for the 2009–10 season.[6] The Ducks however released him on September 26, less than a week before the start of the season.[7] However, he would return to the Ducks organization on October 28 when they signed Calder to a one-year, two-way contract and assigned him to their ECHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors.[8] On November 14, he was recalled by Anaheim because of injuries to Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter.[9] On December 28, 2009, Calder was waived by the Anaheim Ducks.[10] After clearing waivers, he was assigned to the Toronto Marlies on December 30, 2009.[11]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Regina Pats | WHL | 27 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Regina Pats | WHL | 62 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Regina Pats | WHL | 62 | 27 | 50 | 77 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | Regina Pats | WHL | 34 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 27 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 30 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Cleveland Lumberjacks | IHL | 74 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 43 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 37 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 43 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 66 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Södertälje SK | SEL | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 79 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 59 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 19 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Bakersfield Condors | ECHL | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 40 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Bakersfield Condors | ECHL | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Barys Astana | KHL | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Bakersfield Condors | ECHL | 27 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 590 | 114 | 180 | 294 | 309 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Canada | WJC | 
|
7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Canada | WC | 6th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Canada | WC | 
|
9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Canada | WC | 4th | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 21 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | ||||
Death
Calder died after a brief illness on June 15, 2026, at the age of 47.[1][12]
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| YoungStars Game | 2001–02 | |
References
- ^ a b “Longtime NHLer Kyle Calder dead at 47”. sportsnet.ca. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ^ Kempenaar, Adam (2006). “Hawks Accept Calder’s Arbitration Ruling”. ChicagoBlackhawks.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ “Hawks Acquire Handzus For Calder”. ChicagoBlackhawks.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ “Hawks, Wings, Flyers cut deal”. TSN.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-07. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ “Red Wings roll over Blackhawks; Hasek just misses shutout”. ESPN.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-28.[dead link]
- ^ “Ducks give Calder a try-out”. OC Register. 2009-09-04. Archived from the original on 2009-09-08. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ “Ducks cut four, trim roster to 26”. LA Times. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ “Ducks Sign Calder to One-Year Deal”. ducks.nhl.com. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- ^ “Ducks Recall Calder from Bakersfield of ECHL”. Los Angeles Times. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ “Ducks place left wing Calder on waivers”. vcstar.com. 2009-12-28. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ “Calder Reassigned to Toronto”. ducks.nhl.com. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ Former NHL player dies at 47 after illness, daughter says in emotional post
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database