Wild assistant GM, ex-NHL defenseman Tom Kurvers dies at 58

Minnesota Wild assistant general manager and former NHL defenseman Tom Kurvers has died after a battle with lung cancer, the team announced Monday. He was 58.

The Wild hired Kurvers in 2018. He previously worked in the Tampa Bay Lightning's front office.

"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," the Wild's statement read. "We join the State of Hockey in mourning the loss of a great hockey player and an even better person."

Kurvers, a Minnesota native, had a prolific collegiate career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player in 1983-84 after notching 76 points in 43 games.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Kurvers in 1981. He won the Stanley Cup with the franchise in 1986. Kurvers also played for the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, and then-Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

He had 421 points in 659 NHL games.