The separate and untimely deaths of three current or former NHL enforcers this summer are the talk of the hockey world, but has the discussion split the very fraternity that it should be bringing together in a time of crisis and tragedy?
There's considerable debate whether the deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak - all by their own hand, whether deliberately or accidentally - represent a pattern or a coincidence. Boogaard died from a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol, while Rypien and Belak both took their own lives and were known to suffer from depression.
Despite widespread speculation that the physical and psychological stress that comes with the enforcer's role might have driven them past the point of despair, one of hockey's legendary tough guys, former Canadiens enforcer Chris Nilan, doesn't believe job description was a contributing factor.
"Depression is a serious thing, and people in life suffer from that," Nilan said. "It doesn't matter if you're a hockey player or if you're a lawyer, or a doctor, or a mail man. It does not matter."
Nilan isn't alone in saying it's premature to make a link between the deaths of Belak, Rypien and Boogard and what they did for a living, but circumstances demand more than amateur opinion and anecdotal evidence on either side of the argument.
Only a clinical study by medical professionals can confirm or discount a link between fighting in hockey and mental or physical illness leading to suicide. The National Hockey League has the resources to commission and conduct such a study. It also has the responsibility. The question is, does it have the will?
