Derek Boogaard was recruited to the NHL mainly to be an enforcer. After having a record of fighting over 180 times in the Junior Hockey League, he continued this trend as he entered into the big leagues where in his 277 NHL career games he scored a total of three goals and accumulated 589 penalty minutes. Boogaard passed away on May 31 of this year caused by a predicted accidental overdose of alcohol and drugs. His brain was later donated for research to Boston University, where test results have confirmed that he had early stages of a degenerative brain condition, CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). This condition is thought to be caused by repetitive blows to the head, which remains consistent with Boogaard’s frequency of fighting. He is the 4th hockey player to be diagnosed with CTE, and is the youngest, as only 28 years old. There have also been five NHL players who have passed away during this year, four of which were reported a suicides. There is a consistent link between all five of these deaths, as they were all labeled as enforcers on their teams. So many injuries happen in the NHL due to fighting and checking, and it is possible that if fighting were to be banned, then these deaths could be avoided. I don’t think it is right for NHL scouts to be recruiting players for their fighting ability, but as long as fighting is allowed during the game, players will continue to be labeled as enforcers. I got to go to quite a few hockey games, and have to admit that while fighting does add a thrill to the game, I don’t think it is appropriate and causes a lot of harm.
Connection between fighting and NHL player deaths
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