Chris Simon, a two-time NHL All-Star who received a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, had stage 3 continual traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died by suicide in 2024, based on a autopsy mind tissue evaluation launched by his household and the Concussion Legacy Basis (CLF) on Monday.
Simon performed for seven franchises throughout his 15 seasons within the NHL. He went on to play in 174 video games within the KHL earlier than retiring from skilled hockey in 2013.
“Mr. Simon had extreme CTE pathology in areas of the mind concerned with cognition and temper regulation, and it’s doubtless CTE contributed to his reminiscence issues, despair, and apathy,” Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System, mentioned.
A gritty left winger, Simon fought greater than 100 instances and amassed 1,824 penalty minutes as an expert.
Instantly following his loss of life in 2024, Simon’s household attributed his suicide to CTE. Whereas it isn’t doable to diagnose people with the neurodegenerative situation whereas they’re alive, signs akin to emotional volatility and reminiscence loss might help docs determine potential instances.
“Chris was struggling tremendously from CTE. We noticed him declining however didn’t know the place to show to for assist,” Simon’s dad and mom and sister mentioned within the assertion. “Chris’ short-term reminiscence points have been ongoing for a few years. We additionally discovered that he had misplaced most of his listening to, had every day complications, gentle sensitivity, paranoia, was simply pissed off with duties, had excessive nervousness, problem navigating in a automobile, apathy, lack of feeling and emotion, impulsivity, distancing himself from those that meant essentially the most to him, had govt dysfunction — that means he couldn’t plan or downside resolve and he had suicidal ideas at instances.”
In accordance with his household, Simon had “distanced himself from his household and mates the final three years of his life.” They mentioned the CLF analysis will assist deliver his family members some closure.
“The Chris we knew had been gone for fairly a while. Trying again, we now notice that Chris doubtless began affected by CTE in his late 20s to early 30s,” they mentioned. “Our complete household suffered for a few years as we noticed our son, brother, father, husband slip away from us and we couldn’t do something to assist him.”
Throughout his NHL profession, Simon scored 161 targets and added 168 assists. He competed in 75 playoff video games, together with the Avalanche’s first Stanley Cup run, and returned to the Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals in 1998 and the Calgary Flames in 2004.
A participant identified for delivering laborious hits and infrequently initiating altercations, the NHL suspended Simon eight instances over his profession. He missed a complete of 65 video games attributable to suspensions, together with a 30-game suspension in 2007 that ranks among the many longest in league historical past.
In that incident, Simon pulled the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jarkko Ruutu to the ice and stomped on his leg together with his skate. Simon, who was enjoying for the New York Islanders, subsequently took an indefinite go away from the group to hunt counseling.
“I’ve loved an extended profession attaining my dream of being a participant within the Nationwide Hockey League and I’m pleased with my accomplishments,” Simon mentioned in a press release apologizing to Ruutu on the time. “However I acknowledge that point and help is required earlier than I return to the sport.”
Simon filed for bankruptcy in 2017, saying he couldn’t work attributable to CTE and different accidents he sustained throughout his enjoying profession. He started gathering incapacity funds earlier that 12 months and in addition joined a class-action lawsuit over the NHL’s dealing with of head trauma. The lawsuit was settled in 2018 for $18.9 million, although it’s unclear how a lot of that cash Simon obtained.
Of their assertion saying his CTE analysis, Simon’s household lamented “the negligence of an expert league turning a blind eye to CTE and different vital mind accidents sustained within the sport of hockey.” The assertion particularly pointed to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s historical past of disputing the connection between CTE and hockey.
“We take heed to the medical opinions on CTE, and I don’t imagine there was any documented research that means that components of our recreation lead to CTE. There have been remoted instances of gamers who’ve performed the sport [who] have had CTE. However it doesn’t imply that it essentially got here from enjoying within the NHL,” Bettman told NPR in 2023.
The CLF mentioned 19 of 20 NHL gamers’ brains studied at Boston College’s CTE Heart, together with Simon, have examined constructive for CTE. It famous the diagnoses of former gamers Bobby Hull, Ralph Backstrom, Stan Mikita, Bob Probert and Derek Boogaard have been included in a 2024 research by the college that “discovered the chances of creating CTE elevated by 34 (%) for every year of hockey performed.”
A request for remark from the NHL was not instantly returned.
For those who or somebody you already know is having ideas of suicide, name or textual content 988 for the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline, or contact the Disaster Textual content Line by texting TALK to 741741.
(Picture: Yury Kuzmin/KHL Picture Company by way of Getty Photographs)
