NHL enforcers' deaths raise questions about fighting, drugs, and depression

The recent deaths of three NHL enforcers have caused rumblings that the league should outlaw fighting.

Flyers tough guy Jody Shelley scoffed at the idea, and at the thought that fighting - and the mental and physical toll it places on players - played a role in the tragedies.

So did injured Flyers winger Ian Laperriere, once one of the league's scrappier players. Laperriere, who isn't expected to play again because of post-concussion syndrome, said the league should be more concerned about players abusing pain-killing drugs.

Which raises a question: Are some hockey players abusing drugs because of the pain they are absorbing in fights?

In a joint statement, the NHL and NHL Players' Association said they were "examining the deaths and the factors that may have contributed" to them. Both groups said they want to determine whether "concrete steps" can be taken to help players and "minimize the likelihood" of such events happening again.

Derek Boogaard, 28, died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and the pain-killing drug oxycodone, authorities said. Wade Belak, 35, and Rick Rypien, 27, reportedly committed suicide.

For the three enforcers, punches to the head were common. Belak had eight goals and 136 fights in his career.

Todd Lewis, cofounder of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital's Concussion Center, said "one of the things linked to post-concussion syndrome is depression."

Former Eagles defensive back Andre Waters, who suffered numerous concussions in his career, committed suicide in 2006. A pathologist said Waters' brain tissue was that of an 85-year-old.

Waters was 44 when he shot himself.

Since Waters' death, "there have been efforts to link a history of depression with concussions and suicide," Lewis said. "As far as statistics are concerned, the jury is still out in forming a true correlation. We need to do a lot more research, but I think there's enough data out there - knowing that depression is associated with concussions - to suggest there is something going on here."

Should the recent NHL deaths cause the league to abolish fighting?

"It's very sad those three guys died," Laperriere said, "but I don't think it's related to fighting. To take fighting out of the game would be a real drastic move."

"We think we see a common denominator," said Shelley, referring to the fact that the three players were enforcers, "but we can't be that ignorant to think we know these three guys and what happened."

Laperriere, 37, still bothered by blurriness from taking a puck to the face in 2010, said the NHL needs to address players' addictions to painkillers, and Shelley said the league should provide help for players battling depression.

"I know for a fact it's a bigger issue than people make it," Laperriere said of players abusing painkillers.

He said the problem was not limited to enforcers.

"Every team I've played for had three or four or five guys on that stuff," he said. "And not for the right reason."

In his 16-year career, Laperriere played for St. Louis, Los Angeles, the Rangers, Colorado, and the Flyers.

"Those pills are there for the right reason - if you need it, if you're in pain after a surgery. But [they're] not to get a buzz after a game because you can't sleep, or you have too much pressure, or you have too many things on your mind and you want to numb yourself with that stuff," Laperriere said. "I think it's a bigger issue."

Brantt Myhres, a former NHL fighter and drug addict who is now a substance-abuse counselor, told the Toronto Globe & Mail that hockey enforcers are the primary drug abusers.

"Of the 17 teams I played on, the majority of the fighters were the ones who dove into those substances," said Myhres, who had 169 penalty minutes in 23 games with the Flyers from 1997 to '98.

Shelley is aware that depression reportedly contributed to two of the enforcers' recent deaths.

"If you want to take a stance about something, let's talk about depression. Let's not talk about fighting," Shelley said. "I agree we're still learning about concussions and there are some terrible stories, and there's some depression issues linked to it, from what I hear. But that said, we have to be able to talk about depression and talk about our feelings. You couldn't do that 10, 15 years ago in the NHL or the NFL. You couldn't say you were sad or had problems. In this day and age, as teammates across the league, we have to be able to talk about it and be able to help guys. . . .

"Let's start helping each other deal with things verbally and make it OK to talk about things you don't normally talk about."

Lewis said enforcers are "clearly going to be more susceptible to concussions. What I find hard to accept is that the NFL is finally setting up new rules and guidelines - like kicking off from the 35-yard line, and last year ruling that you can't hit guys who can't defend themselves  - to try and protect players more. Yet in hockey it's still widely accepted to have enforcers.  I guess they think fans would be disappointed if they went to a game and didn't see a fight. Interestingly, the NHL was one of first pro sports to have impact testing, with baseline cognitive screening. They started to protect these guys.  But as far as taking the next step, they still have these enforcers and have done nothing to institute protection for the players beyond that."

It's no surprise: Zac Rinaldo says fighting belongs in the game. Rinaldo, 21, who is hoping to earn a spot with the Flyers in training camp and is viewed as one of the franchise's future enforcers, is adamant about his position.

"I think there's 100 percent room for it," he said. "I mean, it's hockey. It's how I was brought up since I was born. In the heat of the moment, things happen."

Fighting, Shelley said, "is a proud part of the game. We're proud to be in a sport that has a way of policing itself. I know the fans in Philly are proud of it."

Shelley, Laperriere, and Rinaldo talked with deep respect about the three enforcers who died this summer. They meant no disrespect to them, they said, by saying fighting belongs in the game.

Rinaldo implied that he thought personal problems had more to do with the deaths than anything that happened on the ice.

"I've had some problems off the ice that were not hockey related," Rinaldo said. "Some people may deal with things differently than other people. It's tragic that it happened, but it's part of life."

Like many before him, Rinaldo's meal ticket is his ability to brawl.

"That's how we make money. That's how Shelley has been making money. That's how I'm going to make money, if I do end up here," he said.

Laperriere, who is mentoring Flyers prospects, said fighting has decreased in recent seasons.

"Fighting is leaving by itself. You don't have those goons anymore that are only there to fight," he said. "There's less fighting every year."

The numbers support him. In 1986-87, there were 2.1 fights per game in the NHL, compared with 0.52 fights per game last season.

Laperriere candidly wondered if the NHL would lose a sizable portion of its fans if it eliminated fighting.

"When a fight breaks out, I don't see everybody sitting in their seats and looking away," he said. "Everybody's standing up and they're cheering; it's part of the game. You don't want to lose those fans; the league can't afford to lose those fans."