Former North Stars standout defenseman Brad Maxwell dies at 66

Brad Maxwell, a former standout defenseman for the North Stars for nine of his 10 NHL seasons, died Sunday from an aggressive form of lung cancer. He was 66.

Maxwell was the seventh overall pick by the North Stars in the 1977 NHL draft and joined the team later that year at age 20. He produced 98 goals and 270 assists in his NHL career, which also included brief stints with Quebec, Toronto, the New York Rangers and Vancouver, and had career highs of 19 goals and 54 assists for the North Stars in 1983-84, his lone All-Star season.