Former Winnipeg Jets player Jason Cirone passes away at 53

Cirone had made hockey he life as he played for many leagues including the OHL where he played for the Cornwall Royals and the Windsor Spitfires. He was drafted in the NHL in 1989 by the Winnipeg Jets, in the second round, 46th overall. His NHL stay was rather short as he only played three games in the league but had showed an offensive talent that later in life, he used with the IHL and overseas.

After spending several years in the United States playing for teams like the Cincinnati Cyclones, Los Angeles Ice Dogs and the Kansas City Blades of the IHL, he chose to go to Italy to play for the Italian Ice Hockey League where he had two stints with HC Asiago.

He quickly became a fan favorite and had a strong offensive game as in 2003-2004 as he scored 31 goals, with 21 assists for 52 points and had 79 penalty minutes through 38 games played. He also had eleven points through 12 games in the playoffs that year

Through 190 games played, he scored 192 goals with 194 points for Asiago.

His biggest achievement was playing for the Italian National Team where he went on to play in the World Championships and played in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games as he represented Italy during the tournament.

Even though he did not have an illustrious career in the NHL, he certainly made an impact with everyone he played with and played for. He showed great toughness and great leadership with his teammates in all leagues he played for. He also had the ability to fight and defend his teammates when it was called upon.

We wish to extend our sympathies and support to the Cirone family through this difficult time.

Source: House of Hockey

Source: Wikipedia