Fans' hopes have been raised, as both the NHL and NHLPA appear to be working hard to get a deal done to have a season. With a lockout not imminent but very possible, fans and NHL officials alike should start to look ahead at issues that need to be addressed when the lockout ends.
One such issue is player safety.
The NHL was rocked in the summer of 2011 when Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak, and Rick Rypien all died within a matter of four months together. Boogaard died of a lethal combination of alcohol and painkillers, while Belak and Rypien committed suicide.
While these three cases appear to have been coincidences, science would beg to differ.
Boogaard was diagnosed post-mortem with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that can cause aggression, dementia, memory loss, and depression. Belak and Rypien both suffered from depression, yet there is no evidence to show that either of these two players had CTE. Bob Probert, who died in the summer of 2010, also had CTE.
With all four enforcers possibly having the same degenerative brain disease, it begs the question, is the NHL doing ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jacob Born
NHL: Player Safety Should Be Next Issue Addressed After Lockout
December 7th, 2012 by Jacob Born Leave a reply »
Advertisement