Chris Snow, Calgary Flames assistant GM and father of two, passes away at 42 from complications with ALS:  His widow Kelsie reveals he gave ‘four people the gift of life by donating his kidneys, liver and lungs’

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow has passed away due to complications from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

His widow Kelsie posted a heart-warming picture of the smiling couple with their two children.

‘Today we hugged Chris for the last time and said goodbye as he went to give four people the gift of life by donating his kidneys, liver and lungs,’ she wrote, referring to the family’s decision to donate his organs. ‘We are deeply broken and deeply proud. In life and in death, Chris never stopped giving. We walk forward with his light guiding us.’

Snow was diagnosed in December 2019 but continued to work for the franchise over the last few years. He recently suffered a brain injury due to the condition, which affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The Flames honored Snow with a video tribute before Friday’s preseason game.  

Snow has been with the Flames since 2011 after spending time with the Minnesota Wild

However, on Wednesday, Kelsie announced that his condition had worsened.

‘With a shattered heart I’ve come to share that Chris became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest,’ Kelsie wrote.

‘Paramedics and doctors were able to get his heart beating again but, devastatingly, a scan showed Chris has suffered a catastrophic brain injury caused by lack of oxygen. His doctors do not expect him to wake up from this.

‘My chest feels cracked open and hollowed out. Chris is the most beautiful, brilliant person I’ll ever know and doing life without him feels untenable. Hug your people.’

At the time of his diagnosis, doctors gave Snow, now 42, one year to live.

Boston.com, in an article earlier this year about Snow, said that his father, two uncles and a cousin all died of ALS, with a specific mutation running through the family.

The hockey executive and his wife Kelsie share children Cohen and Willa together.

Snow poses with his wife Kelsie, and kids Cohen, 10, and Willa, 7, during the 2022 NHL Awards

Snow throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Red Sox and the Rays

‘We cannot convey the impact Chris has on our organization, not only in his work but the leadership and positivity he brings,’ the Flames said on social media earlier this week.

‘Despite his own challenges, he is a beacon of light, uplifting all of us around him. Our hearts are with Kelsie, Cohen & Willa as Chris continues to battle.’

A former sportswriter, Snow transitioned to the NHL years ago. He was the director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild from 2006-10, then joined the Flames as director of hockey analysis in 2011.

The Massachusetts native was promoted to assistant general manager in September 2019.