(OTTAWA) Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was posthumously diagnosed in Henri Richard, former great player and captain of the Montreal Canadiens and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Legacy Foundation for Children announced on Wednesday. Concussions Canada.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive brain disease associated with repeated brain trauma, including concussions and repeated blows to the head.
Richard’s son, Denis, released the results of his father’s brain study in hopes of drawing attention to the risks of repetitive head trauma in hockey.
“I hope that my father’s brain donation and diagnosis will allow us to intensify prevention efforts, research and, ultimately, the development of a treatment for ETC”, declared Denis Richard in a statement.
“I want people to understand that this is a disease that affects athletes far beyond football. »
Richard, known as “Pocket Rocket” as the younger brother of Maurice (Rocket) Richard, played with the Canadiens from 1955 to 1975 and won 11 Stanley Cups. He died in 2020 at the age of 84 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Foundation says 16 of the 17 NHL players whose cases were investigated were diagnosed with ETC. The list includes former Chicago Black Hawks star and Hockey Hall of Famer Stan Mikita.
“Henri Richard was not a brawler and ETC still ravaged his brain. It is high time that all members of the Canadian sport community recognize the long-term effects of repetitive impacts on the brain,” Tim Fleiszer, a former Canadian Football League player, said in a statement today. now Executive Director of the Foundation.
The NHL, which made helmets mandatory for new players in 1979, has always denied any connection between hockey and ETC.