Brain damage in Derek Boogaard

While snow athletes aren't as likely to be hit in the head as much as an ice hockey player, the following news release contains sobering information for athletes who experience repeat concussions. Derek Boogaard was only 28 when he died and the autopsy revealed an advanced degree of brain damage. Please wear a helmet this season and if you do sustain a hit, do not return to the slopes until you have been cleared by your physician.

Derek Boogaard, a former National Hockey League player, had a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma when he died in May at age 28, according to researchers.

The disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, widely known as C.T.E., is a close relative of Alzheimer’s disease and has been diagnosed in the brains of more than 20 former football players. It can be diagnosed only posthumously.

The researchers at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy who examined Boogaard’s brain said the case was particularly sobering because Boogaard was a young, high-profile athlete, dead in midcareer, with a surprisingly advanced degree of brain damage.

“To see this amount? That’s a ‘wow’ moment,” said Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and a co-director of the center.

Boogaard was one of the sport’s most feared fighters, filling the role of enforcer for the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers. Over six seasons in the N.H.L., he accrued three goals and 589 minutes in penalties. On May 13, his brothers found him dead of an accidental overdose in his Minneapolis apartment.

The degenerative disease has been found in the brains of all four former N.H.L. players examined by the Boston University researchers. The others were Bob Probert,, who died at age 45; Reggie Fleming, 73; and Rick Martin, 59. New York Times 12/5/11

Raffle Tickets available at Wine and Cheese Depot

The Wine and Cheese Depot in Ludlow is now carrying Instant Wine Bar Raffle tickets. Stop by and fill one out. They make great stocking stuffers!