Shocking Study Reveals 18 NHL Player Deaths Linked to CTE; Putting Gary Bettman Under Pressure
A new study has revealed that the odds of getting CTE by playing hockey dramatically increase every year: Will Gary Bettman finally realize this and make a change?
A new study from Boston University's CTE Center finds that the longer male hockey players stay in the sport, the greater their risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The progressive brain disease caused by repeated head impacts has been associated with other contact sports, like football.
Published in 'JAMA Network Open', the research discovered that for every additional year of hockey played, a player's chances of getting CTE increase by 34%.
The new research studied 77 deceased male hockey players and determined that 96% of professional players had CTE pathology, which included 18 of the 19 studied players from the NHL.
Among college, junior, and semi-professional players, 46% had CTE and 10% of youth and high school players had the disease.
Dr. Jesse Mez, lead author of the study, highlighted that players whose careers were longer tended to have more serious stages of the disease.
But Mez said these findings do not reflect the CTE prevalence in the general population of hockey players. Many donors to the brain bank have had long playing histories and symptoms suggestive of the disease.
But whereas the link between football and CTE has received significant attention, hockey has, in many ways, remained under the radar, mostly because of the much smaller number of hockey players in the U.S., as well as the relatively fewer reports on the sport's concussion problems.
With this research, Mez aimed to bring more attention to the dangers of long-term hockey and effect change within the game.
This study also undertakes to enlighten players, families, and parents who make decisions concerning participation in hockey.
It may help former players suffering from symptoms of CTE to understand their condition and the possible long-lasting effects of their playing careers.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 263 ANSWERS Shocking Study Reveals 18 NHL Player Deaths Linked to CTE; Putting Gary Bettman Under Pressure Does Gary Bettman need to finally realize CTE is a big problem in hockey? | ||
| Yes | 241 | 91.6 % |
| No | 22 | 8.4 % |
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