Kukla's Korner Hockey

Larry Brooks Reports on Boogaard
by Alanah McGinley on 05/14/11 at 09:02 PM ET
Comments (5)
From Larry Brooks of the NY Post, on Twitter:
Post has learned that Derek Boogaard was receiving counseling through NHL/NHLPA Behavorial Health/Substance Abuse Program at time of death.
Moments later, he followed it up with:
Story that will appear in Sunday’s editions will be posted on NYPost.com….No inferences should be drawn as to cause of death.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: derek+boogaard
Comments

CYA, Alanah: “Cover your ass.”
Posted by Chris on 05/14/11 at 09:59 PM ET

I won’t lie, I’ve been expecting something just like this to pop up since I first read the news.
I guess that’s not a commentary on Boogaard so much as a commentary on how often we’re reading these sorts of stories and getting “used” to them. You start hoping these don’t pop up, rather than just assuming they won’t and giving benefit of the doubt.
Posted by Primis on 05/14/11 at 11:03 PM ET

Here is what Brooks wrote this morning, nothing earth shattering or new from what he stated yesterday….
As loved ones, friends, teammates and the extended hockey world mourn the loss of Derek Boogaard and await the findings of an autopsy performed yesterday in Minneapolis, The Post has learned that the 28-year-old Rangers’ winger had been receiving counseling in the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse & Behavioral Health Program in the weeks prior to his death Friday night.
Sources close to the situation stressed it would not only be unfair to draw inferences from Boogaard’s participation in the program as to the cause of his death, but that everyone who had been in recent contact with the universally popular athlete was impressed with his positive attitude and shocked to learn of his death.
Boogaard, who was sidelined for the season after just 22 games when he sustained a concussion in Ottawa on Dec. 9 in a fight with Matt Carkner, was given permission by management to leave the team with approximately a week to go in the regular season in order to receiver counseling to help him deal with unspecified issues.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 05/15/11 at 09:20 AM ET
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Yeah, right. But at least a whole lot of newspapers will be sold…
Even assuming Brooks is accurate about this, he knows damn well the inferences that are going to be drawn here, whether relevant or not.
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 05/14/11 at 09:05 PM ET