June 21 (UPI) -- Minnesota Wild assistant general manager and former NHL defenseman Tom Kurvers died at his home Monday from lung cancer, it was announced. He was 58.
Kurvers served as the Wild's assistant GM since 2018. He started as a scout for the Arizona Coyotes, then helped build the Tampa Bay Lightning into a Stanley Cup-winning team before joining the Wild.
In January 2019, Kurvers was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a small cell lung cancer that was deemed inoperable.
"Tom's passion for and success in hockey could only be surpassed by the love and optimism he shared with his family and friends each and every day," the Wild said in a statement. "Tom's kindness and enthusiasm will be greatly missed by the countless number of people on whom he had a positive influence throughout his life."
Kurvers won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player while starring at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1984. He then played 11 NHL seasons from 1984-95 with the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
In 659 career regular-season games, Kurvers -- a seventh-round pick by the Canadiens in 1981 after his freshman season -- recorded 421 points. He was traded seven times during his playing career -- two shy of the record.
