May 16, 2011, Derek Boogaard death story for Metro NYC Newspaper
Derek Boogaard totaled three goals, 13 assists, 16 points and 589 penalty minutes in 277 NHL games.
Rangers left wing Derek Boogaard may be remembered for more than his bruising hits on ice.
The family of the 28-year-old, who was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment last Friday, agreed to donate his brain to the Boston University School of Medicine. Researchers will examine it and search for any signs that concussions played a role in his death. The findings go could a long way toward helping future athletes better protect themselves in violent sports that see frequent blows to the head.
Autopsy results will reportedly take at least two weeks, but police said the cause of death did not look like foul play.
“I am still in shock,” said teammate Brandon Prust. “He was just a real good guy. I still can’t believe I am referring to him in the past tense.”
Boogaard played in 22 games for the Rangers before his 2010-11 season ended due to concussion symptoms following a fight with Ottawa enforcer Matt Carkner on Dec. 9. Boogaard recorded a goal, an assist, two points and 45 penalty minutes.
“It was devastating news,” said Marian Gaborik, who played with Boogaard in Minnesota and New York. “Very sad.”
His goal in the Rangers’ 5-3 Garden loss to Washington on Nov. 9 was his first since January 2006. “It was great. It was a huge goal. It’s good for him,” Brian Boyle said. “It’s been a few games since he’s scored so that’s great.”
The news of Boogaard’s passing has rocked the NHL. Many players expressed shock in Twitter postings. The Wild expressed their condolences to the Boogaard family—he leaves behind his mother and father, two brothers and a sister—in a statement and noted that he “was a fan favorite during his five seasons with the Wild and will be greatly missed here in Minnesota and throughout the NHL.”
GM Glen Sather called the 6-foot-7, 265-pound left wing “an extremely kind and caring individual,” while captain Chris Drury said “On behalf of all Derek's teammates, I would like to say that he was a great friend and a great teammate and that we are all going miss him dearly. This is a tragic loss for the hockey community. All of our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
“The NHLPA is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Derek Boogaard. Derek was a well-liked and respected member of the NHLPA, and his passing is a great loss to the entire hockey community. Our sincere condolences to Derek’s many friends and family during this difficult time,” NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said in a statement released on the NHLPA’s website.
“The news that we have lost someone so young and so strong leaves everyone in the National Hockey League stunned and saddened,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The NHL family sends its deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Derek Boogaard, to those who played and worked with him and to everyone who enjoyed watching him compete.”
http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/861063--family-donates-derek-boogaard-s-brain
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 12:51 PM
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