Jeff Parker had CTE

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Nick Boynton, former Boston Bruins defenseman, calls life after NHL a 'living hell,' citing concussions

The NHL is facing a lawsuit from former players who say the league, which has a duty to protect its players, failed to warn them about the risks and impacts of repeated head trauma on mental health.

Former Boston Bruins defenseman Nick Boynton is one player who claims repeated head injuries have affected his life after he has finished has career.

In a Players' Tribune story titled "Everything's Not O.K.," Boynton detailed his struggled with mental health and drug addicition, which came in relation to his role as an enforcer in the league. Fellow enforcers like Rick Rypien, Derek Boogard, Wade Belak and Steve Montador have all died in recent years due to suicide.

Boynton, who played with the Bruins from 1999 to 2006, said he suffered between eight and 10 confirmed concussions, and probably played through another 10 or 20 throughout his career. In his final year in the league, he was hit in the head three times by three different punches, and was knocked out all three times. He suffered repeated blackouts that year.

He also detailed when he asked one team for help, saying he had a painkiller addiction and that he needed to do something about his problem. Just a few weeks later, he was traded.

Via The Players' Tribune:

"In so many ways, my life after hockey has been a living hell.

"And I can't help but wonder how much the game -- the sport itself ... and all the collisions and head hits -- had to do with that. I'm not a doctor, I haven't gone to medical school and studied exactly how the brain is affected by repetitive forceful trauma. But I can't help but wonder about the damage I did to myself by playing this sport."

Boynton advocates for change from the league in regards to how it handles concussions and mental health issues, and notes that he will not let his son play hockey until there is change.

His story is a scary one, especially for players that have suffered significant concussion injuries in their time in the NHL, like Patrice Bergeron or Sidney Crosby. Figuring out how the NHL can effectively change for the better at handling these situations is the next step.

www.masslive.com/bruins/index.ssf/2018/06/nick_boynton_former_boston_bruins_defenseman_calls_life_after_nhl_a_living_hell_citing_concussions.html

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Former Hawks Daniel Carcillo, Nick Boynton sue NHL over brain injuries

Former Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo and defenseman Nick Boynton are suing the NHL for withholding information about traumatic brain injuries.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the Chicago firm Corboy & Demetrio in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, claims the NHL is a ‘‘league of denial’’ that didn’t give players proper information about concussions and the long-term effects of repeated blows to the head.

Carcillo and Boynton allege they suffered repeated brain injuries, including concussions, through their pro hockey careers. Carcillo played nine seasons in the NHL and Boynton 11. The suit also claims the league ‘‘allowed and encouraged’’ players to play through concussions.

‘‘The NHL is long overdue in acknowledging the significant risks inherent in their style of game,’’ said William T. Gibbs, one of the two attorneys representing Carcillo and Boynton. ‘‘Daniel Carcillo, Nick Boynton and others have seen firsthand how playing in the NHL can cause CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy].’’

Carcillo, nicknamed ‘‘Car Bomb’’ for his aggressive style of play, has been working to raise awareness of brain injuries hockey players suffer. He also has been vocal about the lack of support the NHL offers its players.

After the suit was filed, Carcillo tweeted he will ‘‘continue to apply pressure to people in charge of providing care to current and former players.’’ He also wrote that he will donate any money he receives from the suit to concussion research and the Carrick Institute, which studies clinical neuroscience.

‘‘I’m doing this on behalf of all former NHL players that are struggling with the difficulties of transitioning from a life in the NHL with brains that have been damaged,’’ Carcillo said in a statement. ‘‘Players today are still being denied proper care for concussions.’’

chicago.suntimes.com/sports/former-blackhawks-daniel-carcillo-nick-boynton-sue-nhl-over-brain-injuries/

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Boston University confirms former Massachusetts Auditor Joseph DeNucci, ex-NHL player had CTE

The brains of the late state auditor and former boxer Joe DeNucci and the late National Hockey League player Jeff Parker have been found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy — providing further evidence that football players aren’t the only ones who get the progressive brain disease.

The CTE Center at Boston University School of Medicine is leading much of the research into the mysteries surrounding CTE, working toward the ultimate goal of being able to diagnose the disease in living patients.

CTE is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the tau protein to form around small blood vessels in the brain. CTE, which causes cell death and has been linked to erratic behavior and dementia, can now be detected only by examining the brains of deceased patients. DeNucci’s brain was examined by the center after he died last year at age 78 of suspected Alzheimer’s disease. Parker died last year at 53. CTE was found in both men’s brains.

BU researchers have found that even mild hits to the head are linked to CTE. Last spring, researchers at BU found that playing tackle football before age 12 can lead to earlier onset of symptoms by an average of 13 years for people with brain disease.

This includes not only CTE, but also other degenerative brain disorders.

“Repetitive head impacts lowers resilience to brain disease,” said Dr. Ann McKee, one of the study’s researchers, after the study came out. “It did hasten the onset of symptoms also for people with Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia.”

Researchers at BU and VA Boston Healthcare System analyzed the brains of 211 football players who were diagnosed with CTE after death. Of those, 76 were amateur football players and 135 played at the professional level.

It was found that for each year the individuals played tackle football, symptoms began 2 1⁄2 years earlier.

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez’s brain showed classic signs of Stage 3 CTE. It was also found in the brain of former Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, who killed himself in 2012.

www.bostonherald.com/lifestyle/health/2018/07/boston_university_confirms_former_massachusetts_auditor_joseph_denucci_ex