Former Whaler Paul Cyr is dead at 48
Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 06:52AM 
Paul Cyr, a member of the Whalers from 1990-1993, has died at the age of 48. The cause of death was reported as heart failure; he also was said to be suffering from complications from diabetes.
Cyr was part of one of the most heralded rookie classes in the history of the Sabres. He was taken ninth overall in 1982 by the Sabres, who also selected Phil Housley and Dave Andreychuk in the first round that year. He had scored 52 goals in 58 games for Victoria of the Western Hockey League in 1981-82, and helped Canada win a gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Tournament. Buffalo had hopes that the left winger could develop into another Rick Martin.
Cyr broke in with the Sabres in 1982-83, scoring 15 goals in 36 games. A highlight came on March 3, 1983 when he scored all three goals for Buffalo in a span of 3 minutes, 27 seconds in a 3-2 win over the Bruins. Cyr had his best year in 1984-85, when he scored 22 goals.
In the summer of 1987, Cyr was shot in the abdomen by a taxi driver during a robbery attempt in the Dominican Republic. He missed 17 games and had only one goal in 20 games when he was traded to the Rangers on Dec. 31, 1987 for Mike Donnelly and a draft choice that eventually was used to select Alexander Mogilny.
Cyr finished his Sabre career with 85 goals and 111 assists in 342 games. The forward had injury problems during his time with the Rangers and was eventually released. He finished his NHL career in the Hartford Whalers organization.
paul cyr 
