Former 6-foot-6 Ottawa Senators defenseman tragically passes away at 52

There is little question about how brutal and physically taxing the sport of ice hockey can be. However, even given the knowledge of the toll years playing professionally could be, sometimes some talents are still lost too soon for expectations. This is once again unfortunately the case for former Ottawa Senators defenseman Dmitiri Filiminov, who played 30 games with the team in the 1993-94 NHL season. KHL correspondent Ignat Zazdravin recently announced that Filimonov passed away suddenly, with no other cause provided.

Though NHL fans probably best remember him for his time in Ottawa, Filimonov played ice hockey around the world. He got his start in his home country of Russia, playing for the Moscow Dynamo from 1990-93. It was from here was drafted by Winnipeg 49th overall in the 1991 NHL entry. It was just after his last season with this team before he was traded to the Senators for a 1993 4th-round pick that pulled in Ruslan Batyrshin.

After his three years playing in North America, he played one year with the KalPa Kuopio in Finland before finishing out his hockey career back in Russia. In his last nine years, he played defense for Perm Molot before retiring after the 2005-06 season.

Filimonov was also a member of the USSR National team in the 1991 Canada Cup, the last year the tournament was held. Now, Dmitri Filimonov becomes a bigger part of ice hockey history as he makes his final retirement. We hope you can join us in wishing all the best for his friends and family through this tragic situation.

Source: Blade of Steel
Former NHL defenceman Dmitri Filimonov passes away at young age