As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, former Maple Leaf, Red Wing and Vancouver Canuck Mark Kirton has passed away at 67 years of age due to ALS:
Former Detroit Red Wings center Mark Kirton never sought out sympathy as he battled with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The neurodegenerative disease, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, claimed Kirton’s life on Sunday. He was 67 years old.
“I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me,” Kirton said in a 2021 interview with the CHL website. Right until the end, even as his body steadily betrayed him, he never allowed his bleak prognosis to impact his outlook on life.
“Even though it’s humbling, I just wasn’t going to change,” Kirton said. “I was going to be positive and not allow any negativity to enter my DNA.”
He worked tirelessly raising funds for research into the illness. Kirton was able to incorporate several of his NHL contemporaries to help with his fight, including former Red Wings star Paul Henderson.
He’s the second former Detroit player to lose his life to ALS in recent years. The disease also killed Hall of Fame defenseman Borje Salming in 2022. Salming spent his last NHL season with the Red Wings in 1989-90.
