Ex-Wing Burr dies after fall; battled leukemia

8/6/2013

DETROIT — Shawn Burr, who played 16 years in the NHL, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, died Monday. He was 47.

Dave Goetze, a friend of Burr's, says Burr was making progress in a fight against leukemia, but he died from brain trauma after a fall at his Detroit-area home. Goetze has worked for the Shawn Burr Foundation in support of blood cancer research.

Burr was a first-round draft pick by the Red Wings in 1984. He made his NHL debut in 1984-85 and was with the Red Wings until 1995. He also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks.

In 878 NHL games, Burr scored 181 goals with 259 assists and 1,069 penalty minutes.

ANDERSSON RE-SIGNS: The Red Wings have re-signed center Joakim Andersson to a two-year contract.

The team did not announce financial terms. Andersson, 24, was a restricted free agent.

Andersson played 38 games for the Red Wings last season, scoring three goals with five assists. The native of Munkedal, Sweden, also appeared in 14 postseason games. He played in five regular-season games in 2011-12.