Former NHL forward Jason Cirone sadly passes away at 53-years old

Some saddening news emerged late on Wednesday night regarding former Winnipeg Jets forward and long-time members of the Italian national team, Jason Cirone has sadly passed away at the age of 53, after an ongoing battle with cancer.

Jason Cirone was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round,(46th overall) in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft after having a very solid year with the OHL Cornwall Royals in 1988-99 where he managed to put up 39 goals in 64 games.

Cirone then made his way to the National Hockey League during the 1991-92 season, but only made three appearances with the Winnipeg Jets, and remained pointless. He would later spend the majority of the season in the AHL with the Moncton Hawks.

Throughout Cirone's first 8 of his 9 professional seasons in hockey he spent with the minor leagues across North America before he left to Europe, where he spent 6 years there playing mainly with Asiago in Italy.

During his time in Europe, Cirone played for the Italian National Team by having a passport from the country and played in four World Championships, three of those being in the top division, along with the 2006 Winter Olympics. Cirone managed to score a goal during the 2006 Winter Olympics against Team Canada's goalie Martin Brodeur which tied up the game during the second period, however Team Canada managed to pull of a 7-2 victory over Italy.

On behalf of everyone here at NY Rangers Insider we send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jason Cirone, during this difficult time.