Family, friends, and others are saying goodbye to local NHL hockey pro Chris Simon, who died at the age of 52 last week.
A memorial mass will be held at Wawa's St. Monica's Catholic Church at 11 o'clock this morning, though attendance is limited to invite only, with additional seating instead available at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre, where the mass will be live-streamed - it will also be streamed online, available to view for the next four months.
Following this morning's mass, a celebration of Simon's life will be held at the MMCC, which is located on Chris Simon Drive, named for the hockey star.
An obituary notes Simon - who was originally enrolled with Wiikwemikong Unceded Territory before joining Michipicoten First Nation - was proud to be Ojibwe and a proud member of the Anishinabek Nation, but also "equally proud to be from Wawa", where he was born and raised, and called "home".
Simon was drafted by the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers in 1990, playing for a number of NHL clubs from 1992 until 2008, when he joined Russia's KHL, ending his professional career in 2013 - his greatest career moment was winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, bringing the famed trophy back to Wawa.