On May 13, 2011, New York Rangers forward and tough guy, Derek Boogaard died in his Minneapolis apartment from an accidental overdose of alcohol and painkillers. Boogaard lived with depression.
On August 15, 2011, Winnipeg Jet forward and tough guy, Rick Rypien committed suicide at his home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. Rypien lived with depression.
On August 31, 2011, former NHL forward and tough guy, Wade Belak committed suicide in a condo in Toronto. Belak lived with depression.
Three players in one off season, gone. Were all three of these situations carbon copies of each other? Of course not. But are there similarities? Well, even by never knowing any of these men personally, the facts alone speak for themselves.
On September 13, 2011, Michael Landsberg, the host of a sports talk show Off the Record, wrote a piece on the TSN website about the life and death of his good friend, Wade Belak. The piece was heartfelt, emotional, and most of all, important.
Landsberg reflects on a man with an endearing smile. He even writes, "When I close my eyes and think of Wade the only memories I have are of him smiling". But, Landsberg also reflects on a man who lived with depression. It is there where the importance of the piece really stands out.
Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, and Rick Rypien all had the reputations of being "enforcers" in the NHL. This common bond that these players shared has raised eyebrows all over the country, and throughout the world of sports. The role of an "enforcer" is being put into question by the media, the public, and even the National Hockey League. And although that may be a very important conversation to have in the future, it's a conversation that I think is for another day. What makes Landsberg's article so important is that the conversation is left out. The article is important because hockey is left out of it. Because the deaths of Rypien, Boogaard and Belak go beyond simply the hockey rink.
In his article Landsberg doesn't really touch on Wade Belak, the NHL player. He instead writes about his "buddy", Wade. And he writes about the disease that took his life.
So for anyone reading this blog, I would like to encourage you to read the article written by Michael Landsberg. Because depression effects peoples lives every day, and I can't speak from experience. I can't reflect on losing loved ones to the disease. I can't really relate. But he can. So please give it a read.
Landsberg's piece on Belak can be found HERE
More Than a Game
Belak's Death Was Not a Suicide, Family Says (Toronto Star, Sept 18)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/1055610--feschuk-belak-s-family-trying-to-cope-with-tragic-accident?bn=1
Depression is a disease of the mind. Certain environments make the mind susceptible to grow that way. People with depression have amazing mental strength and capability, because they have to in order to survive. These guys were all enforcers naturally because they felt battle-hardened and were best suited for the role. I'm sure at their best these were all great guys to be around...it's too bad their environment brought them down, and tragic for the hockey world.
ReplyDeleteDepression can affect anyone - even people who don't seem "depressed" from the outside. Very tragic and sad.
ReplyDeleteAre three "enforcer" deaths 'correlation' or 'causation'? Three is a high number, but not necessarily pointing to the role as a cause. I'm interested to see if investigations provide any correlative evidence, but mostly I'm just sad to see the NHL lose three great athletes.
ReplyDeleteI like how you focused on their personal lives too and not just on hockey.
I think it's really one of those things that can only really be speculated for now, Chaley. But at the same time, the NHL has been on the record saying that they will not ignore what has happened this summer, and that they are looking into what exactly this means, and what exactly needs to happen for the future safety of the players. It will be interesting to see what that may be. I don't think there has ever been a time in hockey where the possibility of banning fighting has actually been a consideration like it is now.
ReplyDelete