Study of fabled enforcer Bob Probert's brain highlights risks to NHL and NFL stars
Punch-ups are common in ice hockey matches, an almost obligatory part of the entertainment for spectators. But university researchers fear such brawls have damaged the brain of one of the game's most famous enforcers.
The Boston University report adds ice hockey to a list of sports with a strong risk of sustaining brain damage after examining the brain of Bob Probert, the Canadian who established a reputation in the NHL as one of the best enforcers, winning most of more than 200 fights on ice.
Researchers found he had suffered from the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
He died last year of a heart attack at 45 and his wife, Dani, donated his brain to the university, which is conducting research into brain trauma in sport. The findings will add to growing calls in the US for sports to minimise the risk of brain damage, especially among young athletes in sports such as American football.
Probert, who played with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, built a reputation on his fighting ability, though he was also a skilled player.
Chris Nowinski, co-founder of the non-profit Sports Legacy Institute, which is working with the university, said: "We are only beginning to appreciate the consequences of brain trauma in sports. Early evidence indicates that the historical decision not to discourage contact to the head was an enormous mistake, and we hope aggressive changes continue to be made to protect athletes, especially at youth level."
The only other hockey player who was studied was also an enforcer and also suffered from brain trauma. Nowinski acknowledged that further study, saying that Probert could have received brain trauma from incidents outside of hockey, such as a car accident.
The university's Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has studied the brains of 40 former athletes, of whom more than 30 have shown signs of CTE.
Probert said her husband wanted to donate his brain after learning about the research: "His sole motivation was to make sports safer for our children."
CTE, which was referred to as "dementia pugilistica" because it was thought to only affect boxers, is a progressive brain disease thought to be caused by repetitive trauman, including concussions or subconcussive blows, the university said.
In recent years, there has been more interest in the risk of brain trauma in American football, in particular whether safer helmets can be found.
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