Former Sabre Cyr passes away

BUFFALO – Paul Cyr, the ninth overall pick by the Sabres in 1982 and a veteran of 342 games with the club, died recently of heart failure, according to the Victoria Times Colonist. He was 48.

Cyr suffered a heart attack and from diabetes-related complications, CHEK in British Columbia reported.

The winger was part of one of the Sabres’ best draft classes ever, getting selected between future stars Phil Housley and Dave Andreychuk in a fruitful first round.

Cyr tallied 15 times in 36 games as a 19-year-old rookie in 1982-83 and averaged 17 goals over the next four seasons, scoring a career-high 22 goals in 1984-85.

He compiled 85 goals, 196 points and 454 penalty minutes before he was traded to the New York Rangers on Dec. 31, 1987 for Mike Donnelly and a fifth-round pick that wound up being Russian star Alexander Mogilny.

Cyr battled injuries after leaving the Sabres, playing once in 1988-89 and then missing all of the next year. He wound up playing parts of two seasons with the Hartford Whalers. He last appeared in 1992-93 with the AHL Springfield Indians.

A ferocious scrapper, Cyr fought 28 times during his NHL career, according to hockeyfights.com. Nine fights are available on Youtube.com.

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