Personal Injury Law

Former National Hockey League Player Found to Have Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE

By Bruce Stern

Bob Probert, one of the National Hockey League's most notorious players, has been found to have the degenerative disease more than 20 deceased football players have had: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Probert died last July of heart failure at the age of 45, and now researchers at Boston University are examining his brain tissue to see if continued and untreated brain injuries played a role in his death.

The National Football League has taken steps recently to combat the rise in sports-related concussions in its players, and now the focus is turning to the NHL to do the same. In recent years, the NHL has taken some steps to alleviate this problem, specifically, by banning blindside hits to the head. However, the League has continued to allow the aggressive and dangerous on-ice fights which many researchers believe cause the head trauma.

Probert is the first contemporary hockey player to show C.T.E. after death. A few other hockey players, such as long-retired player Reggie Fleming, have been found to have C.T.E. as well, but these players from the 1960s played before the adoption of helmets.
 

Full post as published by Traumatic Brain Injury Law Blog on March 17, 2011 (boomark / email).