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After Derek Boogaard died on May 12, 2011, his family agreed to hand over Boogaard’s brain for study. Dr. Ann McKee did the examination, according to The New York Times, and found out that the NFL star had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), a condition that can only be confirmed after death. The outlet notes that the condition is much like Alzheimer’s disease and largely occurs from continuous blunt impacts to the head.
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The statistics around C.T.E. are shocking. As of 2011, more than 20 dead athletes were diagnosed with it. The fields of athletes diagnosed with the disease are wide, also including football players and boxers. Things first got rough for Boogaard when he was playing for the New York Rangers and got his first diagnosed concussion, according to Cleveland.com. The article referenced John Branch’s biography of Boogaard, “Boy on Ice.” There’s no way that this was his first head injury, nor would it be his last. Fighting became such a signature experience of the NHL that when Boogaard took on another player, they were encouraged to make it sensational for fans, meaning they went hard. Boogaard gravitated toward drugs and alcohol for relief.
