The NHLPA Forms Historic CTE Advisory Committee to Address the Head Injury Crisis in the Game of Hockey

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Maverick Mitchell
November 12, 2024 (8:51 PM)

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According to the Daily Faceoff's, Frank Seravalli, the NHLPA has announced that the they have officially formed a CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) advisory committee in order to address and help former NHL players suffering from brain injuries.

When the National Hockey League Players Union met in Boston on November 1st, they agreed that it is time to finally recognize CTE as an issue in the sport of hockey.

What is CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy)?

The first thing to note is that CTE is considered rare and still not very well understood, but there are symptoms and patterns that doctors can conclude if someone is suffering from it.

Per the Mayo Clinic:

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries. It causes the death of nerve cells in the brain, known as degeneration. CTE gets worse over time. The only way to definitively diagnosis CTE is after death during an autopsy of the brain.

The symptoms can manifest themselves in many different ways, and it is very much dependent on the person. One might experience, behavioral changes like aggression, cognitive impairment like memory loss, or the worst of all, mood disorders such as depression or substance abuse. There are many other symptoms one can experience, but these are just to name a few.

CTE has been addressed more in the NFL and boxing, but this is the first time the NHL has formally recognized the disease.

One of the most well known stories of CTE that has been reported is regarding ex-NHL enforcer Chris Simon. Simon passed away after taking his own life at the age of 52 just last May, and his family firmly believe his illness and cause of death was directly correlated to the rerepeated blows to the head he endured over his tenure in the NHL.

"The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death," read the statement provided by Simon's former agent, Paul Theofanous. "We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend.

"The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss."

Before today's historic event, the NHL has repeatedly disputed any claims that there are any links between hockey and CTE, but now that has all changed.

It is surprising it took the NHL this long to confirm the connection between the repeated blows to the head and concussions NHLers are subjected to on a regular basis to developing CTE.

There have not been many details released on what the committee will be doing specifically, but hopefully, they focus on outreach and aiding players suffering from the aftermaths of their loyalty and commitment to the game of hockey.