Still no answers in hockey player’s death

TORONTO - The hockey world was digesting the sudden passing of New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard with many starting to wonder whether his death was possibly linked to a fight-filled National Hockey League career.

The 28-year-old forward, one of the game’s most feared fighters who was nicknamed “The Boogeyman”, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on Friday.

The cause of death has not been determined but foul play is not suspected.

While autopsy reports are not expected for at least two weeks, sports talk shows and Twitter were abuzz on Saturday with debate about whether Boogaard’s role as a hockey tough guy might have been a factor in his death.

“The news that we have lost someone so young and so strong leaves everyone in the National Hockey League stunned and saddened,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

“The NHL family sends its deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Derek Boogaard, to those who played and worked with him and to everyone who enjoyed watching him compete.”

Boogaard, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2001 NHL Draft, spent five seasons with the Minnesota Wild starting in 2005 before signing a four-year deal with the Rangers in July 2010.

Boogaard was one of the NHL’s most feared fighters, known more for his fists than his scoring finesse. In 277 career games, he scored only three goals but accumulated 598 minutes in penalties.

His final game was in December, when he suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion during a fight.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, the league’s biggest name, missed the finals months of the 2010-11 season after he sustained a concussion in January.

Tributes from around the hockey community poured in as word of Boogaard’s death spread.

Georges Laraque, the Montreal Canadiens enforcer and another member of the NHL’s fight club, rated Boogaard as the one of the best at his craft, who enjoyed his work.

“He’s the toughest guy in the league,” Laraque told the Toronto Star. “There’s pressure that comes with that. But he was ready to take it.

“He was going to be a big threat, he was going to be ready. You don’t think when you’re 28-years-old something like that was going to happen. It was a total shock.”

For all his ferociousness on the ice, Boogaard was described as a “big teddy bear” away from the rink, donating his time to charitable causes. In New York, he set up “Boogaard’s Booguardians” and hosted military families at Rangers home games.

“The NHLPA is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Derek Boogaard,” said NHL Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr in a statement.

“Derek was a well-liked and respected member of the NHLPA, and his passing is a great loss to the entire hockey community.”

Reuters