Suicide of second hockey player in a week highlights brain damage risk and ... trends now
Top neuroscientists have accused the National Hockey League of 'blatantly denying' the supposed deadly effects of the game - after two players died due to suspected brain injuries in just one week.
Former NHL star Chris Simon was revealed to have taken his own life earlier this week, as a result of a battle with a deadly brain injury. The reports broke just days after the suicide of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Konstantin Koltsov.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Dr Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, described Hockey players as 'boxers on ice', referencing the impact the sport is said to have on the risk of degenerative brain injury.
Studies have suggested that each additional year of playing hockey may increase a person's chance of developing brain damage by about 23 percent.
![At least ten hockey players have died in as many years. While Koltsov [top right] was not confirmed to have had CTE, it is possible given his career, and could have played a role in his suicide](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/20/20/82704653-13219047-image-a-1_1710967339039.jpg)
At least ten hockey players have died in as many years. While Koltsov [top right] was not confirmed to have had CTE, it is possible given his career, and could have played a role in his suicide
Dr Nowinski told this website the science on whether the game is responsible for the lethal injuries is 'black and white'.
'It is embarassing that the NHL won't accept this very clear fact.'
At least 10 NHL players have died from reasons related to brain damage over the past decade - and campaigners say all cases are linked to damage sustained on the ice.
The NHL's leadership has held steadfast in their position despite the mounting number of former sports stars 'falling victim' to a particular condition that can lead to dementia, called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
CTE is caused by repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries. It is thought that the impact on the skull causes the gradual build-up of a protein called tau in the brain's nerve cells.
Over time, this effects the cells' ability to communicate with each other, leading to a range of problems including memory trouble, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior - including that of a depressive or suicidal nature.
The condition can only be diagnosed when the patient has died during a post-mortem. But it has been confirmed as a contributor to the death of 15 former NHL players.
One example is Hall of Famer and 11-time Stanley Cup winner Henri Richard, who died in 2020 aged 84, and was diagnosed posthumously with the degenerative brain disease.
The NHL has resisted pressure from doctors to revisit its concussion protocols as evidence piles up that ice hockey players are just as prone to CTE as professional football players.
For its part, the league has not acknowledged that CTE among its players is a real problem. Bill Daly, Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, said Wednesday: ‘I think the science is still inaccurate’.
Chris Simon, who died by suicide, is believed to have been suffering from CTE, which has been known to cause mood and behavior disturbances
Konstantin Kolstov, a former player for the Pittsburgh Penguins died by suicide this week. It's not clear whether he had CTE, something that can only be diagnosed postmortem
The NHL is considerably behind the National Football League (NFL), which finally acknowledged in 2016 an existing association between football and CTE, and updated its concussion protocol with the aim of making the game safer.
Dr Nowinski said: ‘It’s sad to watch how their denial slows the conversation on helping these former players and preventing CTE in current players. The opportunity’s right in front of us [to make the game safer], and yet, people continue to die.
‘And they aren't given the respect and acknowledgment of what they went through that was caused by the game they played.’
He added: ‘Nobody questions that boxing causes CTE. And the NHL is the only one of the hockey leagues in the world that allows people to be boxers on skates.’
Chris Simon was what’s known in hockey as an enforcer; a player who’s ready at the drop of a hat to go onto the rink and fight, literally, for their teammates. It involves bare-knuckle brawls and blows to the head.
A statement following his suicide, provided by Simon's former agent,
