Logan O'Connor is stepping away from the Avalanche after the sudden passing of his father, Myles O'Connor, at 59.
Colorado shared the news hours before tonight's game in Calgary, releasing a statement of deep sadness and support for Logan and his family.
Logan is taking a personal leave of absence to be with his loved ones. No details about the cause of Myles' passing have been disclosed.
Hockey can wait. Whatever time Logan needs, Colorado should hand it over without a second thought.
A hockey schedule works a lot like a train timetable. It keeps rolling no matter what happens on the platform, and tonight that feels cruel.
Myles was a hockey man through and through. The Calgary native was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round in 1985, 45th overall.
He captained the University of Michigan in his senior year, then went on to play 43 NHL games with the Devils and the Mighty Ducks.
Avalanche confirm heartbreaking news as Logan O'Connor steps away from hockey
His pro career also ran through the AHL and IHL, with stops in San Diego, Houston and Cincinnati, before a final season in Japan with the Nippon Paper Cranes.
Back home, Myles had been running O'Connors, a family clothing store that has been part of the Calgary community since 1958.
That makes tonight's stop even heavier. The Avalanche are playing in his hometown on the same day the news broke.
Logan had been working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered in the preseason and was close to making his season debut.
There was a real chance he would have played tonight or Saturday at home against Toronto. That timeline is now on hold indefinitely.
Colorado came into tonight at 2-1-0, playing the back half of a back-to-back after a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg on Wednesday.
Jared Bednar's group has to play on no rest with this news hanging over the room.
How do you prepare for a hockey game on a night like this?
Nobody knows when Logan will be back, and nobody should be asking yet. When he does return, that first shift is going to mean a lot more than a season debut.
Should the NHL create a formal bereavement leave policy that protects a player's roster spot?
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