When 11-time Stanley Cup champion and Montreal Canadiens legend Henri Richard died, he had stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), his family said.
According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE is a brain degenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma.
Richard’s son Dennis published the findings in hopes of raising awareness of the risks of head impacts in hockey.
“We hope that the donation and diagnosis of my father’s brain will lead to further prevention efforts, research, and ultimately a cure for CTE,” said Denise Richards. “I want people to understand that this is a disease that affects athletes beyond football.”
Richard, who died in March 2020 at the age of 84, appeared in 1,258 games over 20 years with the Canadiens during a period when players were ditching helmets.
The NHL made helmets mandatory in 1979, four years after Richard retired.
Richard’s Canadiens teammate Ken Dryden praised his skating and physical style of play as “pocket rockets”, but said he didn’t fit the “easy stereotypes” associated with hockey players and CTEs. Stated.
“He had the heart of a playmaker and played like that. But all those blows were on the head,” Dryden said. “In any sport, you have to understand that a blow to the head is not good.”
Richard was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.
According to the Concussion Legacy FoundationOf the 17 NHL players who participated in the study, 16 were diagnosed with CTE, including Chicago Blackhawks’ Stan Mikita.
Mikita, who died in 2020, was the first Hockey Hall of Famer to be diagnosed with a brain condition.
The CTE Association announced that symptoms of Stage 3 CTE included memory loss, executive dysfunction, attention and concentration problems, depression, and mood swings, according to the CTE Association.
75% of people classified as stage 3 have cognitive impairment.
However, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman disputed the direct correlation between CTE and hockey play.
“While we listen to medical opinion regarding CTE, I don’t think there is any documented research to suggest that elements of our games cause CTE,” Bettmann said. told NPR in April. “There have been cases of isolated players who played the game.” [who] I have CTE. But it didn’t necessarily come out of playing in the NHL. ”
In 2018, the NHL settled more than 100 former players worth $19 million after the league failed to protect them from head injuries and warn them of potential risks when playing. Reached.
Players who agreed to the settlement received $22,000 and up to $75,000 in medical expenses. According to Associated Press.
