Ex-NHL D Kleinendorst dies at 59

Former NHL defenseman Scot Kleinendorst died Tuesday, 10 days after suffering devastating injuries in a workplace accident. He was 59. Kleinendorst was operating a piece of heavy machinery at the UPM Blandin paper plant in his native Grand Rapids, Minn., on Dec. 7 when the incident occurred. He suffered numerous broken bones and required emergency brain surgery.

In a post on CaringBridge, his family wrote that his "injuries were simply too devastating to come back from." "Anyone who knows Scot knows he is a tough, proud, loving, self-sacrificing and no-nonsense kind of guy," the post continued. "He was fearless in so many ways and cared more about everyone else than he did himself."

The accident remains under investigation. A fifth-round draft pick of the New York Rangers in 1980, Kleinendorst played eight seasons in the NHL with the Rangers (1982-84), Hartford Whalers (1984-89) and Washington Capitals (1989-90). In 281 career games, he recorded 58 points (12 goals, 46 assists).