After hearing the news of fan favourite and former Leaf tough guy Wade Belak's passing, it was clear that something wasn't right. Though police haven't officially attested, multiple reports are confirming that Belak's father has been notified that his son's death was result of a suicide.
Though Belak was seemingly happy-go-lucky during on and off ice interactions with colleagues and fans; his mother revealed Tuesday that Belak did in fact suffer from depression. In addition, Belak's friend and TSN reporter Michael Landsberg also commented on conversations he and Belak had regarding depression issues. With this being the third death of an NHL enforcer since May, the extremely well-liked in the room and fan favourite Wade Belak's passing has become increasingly more alarming. In May, 28 year-old Derek Boogaard passed away, due to an accidental overdose of oxycodone and alcohol. Following this, in August newly signed Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien also passed away as it was widely known he had been battling depression for the past decade. All three of these death have two things in common; the fact that they were all NHL enforcers as well as their connection with possible depression problems.
Former Flyer's captain Keith Primeau retired due to post-concussion syndrome and had this to say following Belak's passing; "There needs to be some recognition as to why this is happening, what is causing this to transpire, and some type of evaluation done in order to understand its cause," Priemeau continued "There's something here that is not right and it needs to be addressed."
Keith Primeau runs an organization called Stop Concussions with former Euro hockey player Kerry Goulet who explains, that suicide, anxiety and depression have long been linked to head injuries. Goulet continues stating "This isn't just a hockey problem. Until a proper diagnosis is done (on Belak), it's all speculation. There are a lot of assumptions to be made, but we have to be realistic. Over the past sumer, we've lost three people, three humans who had the same purpose in the game."
This news is likely to spark a lot of discussion throughout the hockey world as concussions and head injuries have already been dominating the headlines with the imminent early retirement of Marc Savard as well as Sidney Crosby's long awaited return to the NHL (which is still up in the air). It is going to be a long year for Gary Bettman and the NHLPA as it is vital that something be done about these recent tragic incidents surrounding the NHL.
