As players prepare for the opening of training camps around the NHL, many do so with heavy hearts and increasing worries about the toll the sport is taking on their lives.
An offseason beset with tragedies, including the deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak — all physical players who often were given the task of dropping their gloves to protect teammates — in a four-month span has resulted in more questions than answers.
“It’s something the players, the league, everybody has to take a real good look at,” veteran Blackhawks winger Andrew Brunette said. “We can’t just sweep it under the carpet.”
The Rangers’ Boogaard died in May from what the Hennepin County (Minn.) Medical Examiner’s office ruled an accidental mixture of alcohol and oxycodone while Rypien, who had just signed a one-year contract with the Jets, and Belak, a 15-year veteran who retired from the Predators in March, reportedly committed suicide.
“It’s awful,” Hawks forward Jamal Mayers said. “You think about the fact they all have families. It certainly raises a lot of questions as to the why. It’s definitely scary to think we’ve lost three young guys in such a short period of time.”
Coupled with the Sept. 7 plane crash that killed 44, including every member of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League team Lokomotiv — the summer of 2011 will be remembered as one of tragedy but one that also has brought about an awareness of the mental well-being of current and former players.
Specifically, the deaths of Boogaard, Rypien and Belak have shined a light on the psyche of hockey enforcers.
“It’s stressful,” said the Hawks’ John Scott, who is one of the most feared players in the league because of his fighting ability. “There’s always stress being a tough guy in the league. Every day you’re worried about fighting, keeping your job (and) getting in the lineup. It weighs on you.”
Scott, who was a close friend of Boogaard’s from their days with the Wild, realizes the burden his role carries and isn’t ignoring it.
“It’s something to keep your eye on,” Scott said. “Obviously, I don’t want it to happen to me. My wife (Danielle) is worried (and) my family is worried.”
In the aftermath of the tragedies, questions have been raised as to how players can cope with the physical and mental demands of being a professional athlete.
“You just have to talk about it,” Scott said. “If you ball up that worry and the fear and stuff, it kind of gets to you. I talk to (Danielle) all the time about it (and) I talk to teammates.”
Brunette, a veteran of 1,032 NHL games over a 14-plus season career, concurred that communication is the key for players both still in the game and those who have retired.
“The players have to be willing and everybody has to be willing to listen and speak,” Brunette said. “The awareness level of all the players needs to be much higher than it has been. This is a real eye-opener for all of us.”
Following Belak’s death, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Don Fehr, executive director of the players’ association, issued a joint statement saying, “We are committed to examining, in detail, the factors that may have contributed to these events and to determining whether concrete steps can be taken to enhance player welfare and minimize the likelihood of such events taking place. Our organizations are committed to a thorough evaluation of our existing assistance programs and practices and will make immediate modifications and improvements … deemed warranted.”
Former NHL and Hawks star Jeremy Roenick, who retired in 2009 after playing in 1,363 NHL games, believes a start would be to focus attention on retiring players such as Belak.
“The league should have an evaluation system for when players retire,” Roenick said. “Have doctors and psychologists evaluate well-being in terms of how they feel about retiring.
“Is it too early to retire? Are they getting forced out of the game? Are their bodies not holding up anymore? Just an evaluation process that can bring awareness of people who might be in jeopardy of having some sort of issues.
“Find out what ambitions these players have going into their next life. Do they know what they want to do and do they have a plan? All this stuff can raise red flags that you might be able to help and treat people.”
Added Roenick: “The NHL has a big, big plate of issues and they try to do as much as they can, but there are aspects that get swept under the rug.
“Players leaving the game are easier swept under the rug and forgotten about over the issues of the current players. It’s not the NHL’s responsibility to make sure that people survive after hockey, but they can help.”
Twitter @ChrisKuc
Fan Shop: Grab some Blackhawks gear
