Breaking News in the Derek Boogaard Tragedy
The New York Times reported yesterday that 28-year old pre-eminent NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard did indeed have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his accidental death in May of this year. Boogaard is now the fourth of four former NHL players examined to show evidence of CTE.
CTE is a form of progressive, degenerative damage to the brain caused by repetitive closed head injuries (i.e. ‘blows to the head’). It is characterized by the buildup in the brain of an abnormal protein called tau which tends to form in clumps and disrupt brain function. Part of Ann McKee's job is to solicit suitable brains for examination for the presence of CTE. McKee is the co-director of the Boston University School of Medicine Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, colloquially referred to as the Boston Brain Bank. Within 24 hours of Boogaard's death, a phonecall had been placed from the Center to Joanne and Len Boogaard, requesting the brain of their son. The Boogaard family readily agreed. Sadly, in the span of time between the donation of the brain and the release of the results of the autopsy, NHL enforcers Rick Rypien and Wade Belak both lost their lives, reportedly due to suicide.
While the presence of CTE in Boogaard is not unexpected, what did take researchers by surprise was the advanced degree of damage in someone so young. “To see this amount? That’s a ‘wow’ moment,” McKee reportedly said when she viewed images of Boogaard’s brain tissue. Had Boogaard lived, he likely would have developed middle-aged dementia as a result of the trauma to his brain.
The last few years of Boogaard's life were tragic; blurred by post-concussion syndrome, a descent into alcohol abuse, a dependence on painkilling narcotics like Oxycontin and Percocet, self-neglect, repeated stints in rehab and ultimately, pervasive loneliness. His legacy, however, will lie in the specter raised by the advanced CTE discovered in his young brain. As the Brain Bank's census of CTE-positive ex-NHL brains continues to grow, will the NHL change its tune about the link between hockey and CTE? (According to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "it's way premature to be drawing any conclusions at this point.") How will the NHL respond to this news? How will it respond now to calls to rein in on-ice fighting?
Let the debate continue.
Jennifer Hartman, guest blogger
