Friends remember Kyle Calder as beloved coach after NHL days: ‘Hall of Fame, first ballot human’

Most players who dream of a hockey career would take the 12 years Kyle Calder spent as a professional player, much of it in the NHL. That itself can earn a bit of fame. And in many of the tributes paid following the news of his death earlier this week, Calder was remembered for his battles on the ice and the skills that made him a two-time 20-goal scorer. But it was in the 14 years after his retirement that Calder left his most lasting impact: A family man devoted to his children and committed to teaching and imparting his knowledge to countless kids as they chased their hockey dreams. “Kyle was amazing for us,” said Tommy Tartaglione, who coached with Calder in the Los Angeles Jr. Kings program from 2017 to 2022. “He did everything for us, from 8U hockey to 16AAA, and he was just the best coach and the best guy every time he stepped on the ice. It was so easy for him to relate to every single person. Eight-year-olds loved him, 16-year-olds loved him. “The way Kyle treated everyone from his best player to his worst player, everybody felt like they were part of the group. Everybody felt like they had a vested interest in the team because of the way Kyle treated them.” Calder’s death was announced by his daughter, Madison, on Instagram. The 47-year-old died Monday after a brief illness, the Jr. Kings said in a post on social media. “The father, husband, son, man, friend, coach, hockey player, and everything in between that you were is truly indescribable. The lessons you taught me, the strength you showed me, and the person you pushed me to become every single day — I carry all of it with me,” Madison wrote. From 1999 to 2009, Calder played in 590 regular-season games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. A left wing by trade, the Alberta native totaled 114 goals and 180 assists. A fifth-round draft pick by the Blackhawks in 1997, Calder had his best seasons with Chicago, notching career highs of 26 goals and 59 points in 2005-06 as part of Chicago’s “ABC” line with Tyler Arnason and Mark Bell during a low period for the Blackhawks. Nicknamed “Grease” for his willingness to battle in the tough areas, Calder earned that moniker because he was hard to knock off the puck, Trent Yawney said. Yawney, now an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, was his head coach in that peak season. “Great team guy,” Yawney said in a text to The Athletic. “Liked to have fun but could always be counted on or trusted when the game mattered most. Very good on the boards. He was a tenacious player. Offensively tough in the sense he played on the inside. Created a lot of scoring chances for himself or his linemates in his era when there was a price to pay in front of the net. “Wasn’t afraid to hang on to pucks down low, nor go to the net to pay a price to score.” Along with his former NHL teams, tributes for Calder poured in from Hockey Canada and the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, where he played his junior hockey. After he concluded his pro career in 2012 with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Calder continued to live in Southern California and threw himself into youth hockey. Yawney picked up on that devotion to helping the next generation during stints as an assistant with the Ducks and Kings: “He loved coaching the kids.” Tartaglione, now the director of the Jr. Kings program, said Calder fully embraced his adopted home in retirement and was a fixture who volunteered to help other teams he didn’t coach. He called Calder an “incredible mentor” who pushed youngsters but kept the focus on making competitive hockey enjoyable. “He wasn’t easy by any stretch,” Tartaglione said. “But he was so caring, so loving. The way he yelled at kids, like it never made them feel bad. It just made them want to be better. (They) wanted to impress Kyle and wanted Kyle to like (them) because everybody just loved Kyle so much.” The Kings said on their X account, “Kyle was a steward for Southern California youth hockey players, and his loss is being felt throughout our local community.” What will stick with Tartaglione is how Calder balanced family life with his involvement in the Jr. Kings. He figured Calder could have gone into coaching or management at higher levels, but that it mattered more to be at his children’s events. Calder left the SoCal area and returned to Chicago as his son, Kayden, sought better competition. While in the Windy City, he mentored youth in the Little Blackhawks program. And Calder, he said, was always humble. “You would have never known the guy had any money,” Tartaglione said. “He would have given you the shirt off his back. It probably would have had a hole in it. And you would have never known that he was better than each and every one of us. (He) made everybody feel special, from the janitors at the rink to the bigwigs on the Kings’ side. “Everybody felt like Kyle was their best friend. He had so many friends. But he made you feel like you were his best friend and the most important person in the room. Hall of Fame, first ballot human.”