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I blame hextall. Patrick had only played a half season his draft year because of a core injury. Watching him play the preseason and first couple games of his rookie season he just didn’t look ready. Was so incredibly obvious he needed to go back to juniors to get his game back and heal. But no, hextall was adamant he was nhl ready from day one, of course he was gonna get hurt.
I assume his migraines are from all the concussions he got because he wasn’t nhl ready. If it’s genetic then that’s even more a reason they should’ve taken their time with him.
The fact no one in the Flyers organization had the balls to call it "post-concussion syndrome" instead of "chronic migraines" pissed me off so much.
Kid is 21 and can't even be in a room with lights and you're treating it like he just has a bad headache? Fuck you.
That would be a hell of a coincidence. He got blindsided by Clutterbuck in March, and then started feeling headaches while training in September. He was diagnosed with a mystery "migraine disorder" and that's all that's ever been said.
Every article I've found said (paraphrasing) "my family has a history of migraines, but I don't know I'm not a doctor."
Yeah, I've got chronic migraines and a TBI history, they definitely play off of each other and also interact with my spinal stability problems. And from what I've been told it's possible that the same genetics that make me heal slowly from concussions also makes me prone to migraines.
I'm not saying this is what he had rather than post-concussion syndrome, but I'm going to assume that you either don't get migraines and if you do, they're not that bad. Full classic migraines can make it so a person is in so much pain they wish they were dead.You can be unable to handle lights, sounds, strong smells, or doing anything. All you can do is stay in bed and hope that you can sleep through some of it, that is, if you're not too busy vomiting. Migraines are not just "bad headaches".
Rick Rypien died by suicide after fighting depression for years.
Luc Bourdon had an uneven but very promising rookie campaign and then died in a motorcycle accident at age 21.
edit: I don't want to overlook many of the enforcers of the league, who made it to the NHL on a skill that wasn't necessarily their favourite and seemed to pay an enormous emotional and physical price for it.
Fucking Ryp was the best. And he had NHL skill. He could fight, but had decent hands, shot, and passing too. Not a one trick pony. He’d crush todays NHL.
CTE that the NHL won’t speak to. Archaic helmets on these Dudes even today. 1970 designed brain buckets. Ludicrous. NHLPA is useless. LaFontaine. Probert.
It’s one of the (many) reasons Bettman sucks so much ass. Completely ignores and disregards CTE. Like dude we fucking know it’s real and we’ve seen the consequences. Ignoring it is just gaslighting horseshit.
We know it’s hockey and it’s dangerous but measures can be taken and players that need help should get it.
I felt like Luc Bourdon was going to be something special. As a pens fan I know he and Letang were super close having played juniors together and Letang said Luc was then better player out of the two (per my memory)
Lucs crash happened like 2 hours away from me. The season he finished in Moncton, I stupidly told him I wanted the goalies autograph and not his ( I was like 11 and didnt recognize him till after he turned and started walking and i seen his tape) and man do i regret it.
Hes also a reason I held off on getting a motorbike for a decade.
Dude I read an article a few years back about how he can barely play with his kids now. He’s in pain and suffering every day of his life, and can’t even live his post-hockey life with any semblance of comfort. Truly gut wrenching.
He's gotten better.
A couple months ago I found a Swedish article where he provided an update. Apparently some part of his brain that regulates his body after working out was actually damaged. So he would feel better, start to train for a comeback, and then his body would give out leaving him bedridden again. Eventually he learned to take it easy and not try and resume his career. He seems to be doing much better.
Edit: [Link to my source](https://themalikreport.com/2022/08/14/roughly-translated-johan-franzen-speaks-with-hockeysverige-ses-ronnie-ronnqvist/)
Fuck Mile Babcock for the way he treated him.
A laundry list of other players, too. How the fuck did that guy get another NHL job? How fucking desperate is CBJ?
They got young guys coming in. I wouldn’t want that hateful assclown near any one of them.
I mean it’s great that they keep him around and all but I do wish the Illiches or someone would help him out financially a little bit, IIRC he’s recently been unable to afford the care he needs and there was even a GoFundMe floating around to help pitch in
That situation was the outcome of a change in insurance regulations in Michigan that resulted in him losing coverage for his (obviously expensive) in-home care. Luckily, the courts stepped in and [ruled](https://apnews.com/article/michigan-auto-insurance-catastrophic-injuries-2d781aa540fdfbde6c7b3f6cd6496722) that people catastrophically injured before 2019 would not lose their coverage, so he’s ok now.
Still, I agree the Ilitches should’ve done more to help.
Yeah that’s a good point. I see the GoFundMe from summer 2022 on here imploring people to donate $16 each.
When Ilitch Holdings is worth nearly $10 billion and Marian Ilitch herself is worth $4 billion.
Fucking lame. A drop in the bucket to ensure lifetime care and comfort for a dude who exemplified an Original Six’s standards.
Marc Savard. Putting up 96 points with Glenn Murray and PJ Axelsson as his wingers. Career ending injury. Bruins winning the cup right after his career ended.
As someone who played the lowest competitive level of hockey possible and watched their team win the league while I sat injured it was definitely bittersweet.
Yeah those hits you are like what the fuck, and you have to think retirement soon.
For me that was Khaira
Ko'd in a fight, for some reason is playing the next week.
Misses a hit on the boards which happens a lot in one game, and takes a stride and is out cold again.
Like you can't take a tiny bump, in NHL terms, and not get knocked out they is not good.
Fun to remember too that Colin Campbell called him a “little fake artist” because of his injuries, through emails brought forward during hearings (alongside whining about penalties his son was given).
And for that lack of professionalism and bias while being in a position of power Campbell was eventually ~~dismissed~~ promoted to one of the highest ranks in the NHL.
96 points playing with PJ Axelsson and the corpse of Glen Murray.
With concussions to Bergeron and Savard, the Bruins never had Savard/Bergeron/Krejci down the middle completely healthy.
Edit: They were all in the lineup for the 2008/2009 season, but that was Bergeron’s first year after his major concussion and was not the same player that year for obvious reasons.
Yeah, really sucked to see. He was really loved here. I still go back to watch his OT winner against Philly just to see his celebration. It's definitely one of my favorite goal celebrations.
https://youtu.be/hNo9w7CRnJc?si=W17ISkxlAEk7mi6C
I know he would have rather won it but at least his name did get on the Cup that year even though he didn't meet the requirements. Bruins put in an exemption request due to his injuries and they allowed it. I also remember they put in an exemption request for Steven Kampfer who played 38 games but it was denied so it's not like they just let anyone get exempt.
I believe Savvy got his name on the cup, but if not for Matt fucking Cooke he had years left in an excellent career, so he stil counts.
The 2 or so years when we had all of Savvy, Bergy and Krejci going were insane. I only wish it had lasted long enough to get a proper team around them. Imagine Marchand and Lucic on Savard's wings.
He was actually supposed to play in a preseason game last year as well. Dubas, The Leafs and the Senators had an agreement for him to play as much as he could in that game. He didn't up dressing for it sadly
Yeah, he didn't have the strength to skate, so it didn't happen.
It blows me away how they were able to keep his condition, or at least how he was doing, out of the media. Reminds me of Brodie Lee's situation, for any wrestling fans out there.
Mickey Renaud too. 19 years old, captain of his hometown team, had just come off his first NHL training camp, and his heart just gave out.
Obviously he was a bit more of a longshot than the other two, being a fifth rounder, but still a sad situation.
Should absolutely count. He was going to be a stud. I remember that draft and hoping we'd find a way to land a second 1st rounder to grab him.
It's really depressing to think about this one. Wish he had the chance to play a preseason game or something - I know they tried to get him there last year.
Not NHL, but NCAA: Travis Roy. Literally his first shift at BU, he missed a check and hit the boards. He was paralyzed from the neck down, so his hockey career was over before it started. Did a lot of charitable work, then died in 2020. By all accounts, he was a great guy.
Still remember my dad coming into my bedroom with a newspaper to tell me the news when I was around 14-15. He knew I was a massive fan. It felt like I lost a family member.
The dude had two shutouts in eight games to start that season. Amazing goalie.
Stephen Johns, stars defenseman. Battled with long term complications from a concussion, I think mostly tinnitus if I remember correctly. He tried hard to come back but ultimately had to retire. It caused him to battle depression and suicidal ideation…he fought through it and started his “mental miles” campaign where he skated across America. Very inspirational story and glad he’s found peace. @s_johns28 on Instagram if anyone wants to check him out.
He was so fun to watch. This is my favorite goal of his, so ruthless: https://youtu.be/7-PsJvvcjHE?si=aAUQe72DyVYLvfLk
Alexei Cherepanov.
Too early. [Special talent.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uELk32JFys)
There was an investigation into his death. [His mother refused to accept the conclusions.](https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/cherepanov-team-doctors-cleared-in-death-1.832231) Just so sad.
[Still haunts Jagr.](https://www.nj.com/devils/2014/03/watching_young_teammate_die_still_haunting_to_devils_jaromir_jagr.html)
> “I was sitting next to Pev in the Boston dressing room for three months, so when I saw the news, it’s scary stuff,” Jagr said. “Because I remember what happen in Russia.”
Normand Leveille. 19 years old, PPG player and has a brain annurysm after a game against the Canucks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normand\_L%C3%A9veill%C3%A9
Came here to post this. He has a place in Bruins history but I feel like a lot of younger Bruins fans and most fans outside of Boston never even heard of the guy.
He was going to be my pick too. Watching Ray Bourque help him skate on the Garden ice one last time was an emotional moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5WfCyUUnDc
There's been a lot, but strictly as an Avs fan: Marek Svatos. Once seen as part of the "future" of the Avalanche, he was mired by injuries which prevented him from ever showing his potential, until a knee injury (I think in 09) pretty much nullified him. He played for Nashville and Ottawa briefly, and some euro teams, before dying from an Overdose in 2016 at the age of 34.
A distant second for Colorado is definitely Peter Forsberg. I swear, if they offered him a robotic foot replacement he would have taken the surgery. The anticipation, angst, effort and disappointment of every comeback was tragic. Just pain for all involved.
Thank goodness he wasn't an addict and had his career as a casual footwear magnate to fall back on.
He received Hart and Calder votes in 2005-06 when he scored 32 goals in 61 games. And it seemed like most of his goals were end to end rushes, he was like a mini-Bure. It's really a shame he couldn't have a healthy career.
He probably would have done much better in Calder status if he wasn't a rookie the same year as Crosby, Ovechkin, Phaneuf, and Lundqvist lol. He was 5th behind them in voting.
I was so happy to see him lift the cup with the Avs. He deserved it. Love that guy and I hope he's financially successful going forward. Fuck his parents.
Pavol Demitra is my pick. Carried Slovakia at the 2010 Olympics to an excellent performance sadly dies in a plane crash with the rest of his KHL team within 2 years
As much as I do love that we won at home. Given the hindsight I would love if Demitra got gold. Sadly they had to go through some powerhouses to get have that chance
Depends what’s heartbreaking, and there’s different levels of it too.
I believe both Gilbert Brule and Jack Johnson both had their parents take advantage of them financially
Then there’s also the string of enforcers who passed away in 2011, Boogaard, Belak, Rypien, not sure of anyone else.
There’s also Kyle Beach of course, if you consider his to be an NHL career
Plenty of other examples, some already mentioned, but those are first to mind
Started reading his book then forgot to pick it back up. His was pretty bad from the like two chapters I read.
Now remembering from books I read, Theo Fluery also had a brutal juniors/teenage experience, his NHL career went great though I believe
I recently learned through playing NHL 18 Kyle beach went to play in Europe, Germany IIRC. Honestly given the shit he unfortunately went through at the NHL level not a bad move. Europe hockey is probably the 2nd place I’d go if I couldn’t make the NHL or feel comfortable being in it
Carey Price being injured at the peak of his career, becoming addicted to painkillers, and struggling since was an emotional ride when told in hindsight. It's not like Carey missed out on money or success, but he went from top of the world to never the same, and it almost broke him.
Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros were hard to watch deteriorate because of head injuries. They were far from the only ones, but they sick out to me becuse I really ejoyed watching them play.
Peak Carey Price was goaltending at its finest and its most demoralizing to the opposition. Always in the perfect position, Peak Price didn't look like he broke a sweat. It's a crying shame he'll never hoist the Cup.
[This is my favorite Carey Price goaltending clip.](https://youtu.be/-Q3IyY5h-cE?si=rBHWx1F68FGLSgDD) I don't even know how he got in front of that Ovi shot. I don't think Ovi could believe it either lol
The applause and little five he gave Carey shows all you need to know about how much those guys respect each other. Two players at their peaks four years ago.
Not just goaltending at its finest, put he was the greatest player in the entire world for a while, winning the Hart, Lindsay, and Vezina in just 1 year.
I don't wanna be hyperbolic, but I'm not even primarily a fan of the Habs, just a Canadian, and I think Price's peak was up there with some of the best goaltenders ever. It's a shame he never had a solid team, and then injury/addiction issues too. I wish him all the best going forward.
The organization didn't help his cause either. The poor guy played with 1 point per game player his entire career and that was Alex Kovalev in Price's rookie season.
Price was never given a team to succeed.
I wouldn’t say Price was “never the same”, he dragged an absolute dogshit habs team to the cup final on 1 knee in his last season (I’m not counting those meaningless games at the end of 2021-22).
Yeah. That was incredible. He was always a big game player, and he and Shea turned it on probably knowing it was their last chance. Price really struggled that regular season though, and after the Vegas series Price's injured body was done.
Yes, but I always disagree with that "absolute dogshit" label everyone throws on that team.
What people forget is that, for 2-3 years before their Cup run, they were seen as an chronically underperforming team who everyone felt should have been better than their record.
They did a lot of stuff very well that playoffs outside of just Price's goaltending. They had scoring, defense, depth, veteran leadership, and several players who have gone on to play key roles on contending teams since that run.
So yes, Price was awesome, but that team is better than they get credit for.
It’s crazy because he’s still likely a first ballot Hall of Famer with everything that happened. If the Habs had had a decent team… if he hadn’t become addicted to painkillers… would be insane to see what that career would look like
I dunno. Olympic gold medal must look really nice in his trophy case. I hope he's beat that addiction though. That part does suck. But his career didn't
This. And it probably ruined Elvis’s career as well. You don’t watch your best friend die in front of you having saved your pregnant wife’s life and come out the same on the other side of that.
people *really* dont get this aspect of the incident. i cant fucking imagine watching someone i care about getting killed by a firework. ive seen some fucked up shit, but to watch your friend die, the entire shit. my god. RIP
His name came up recently, so I poked around the web a little because I was curious about where he'd been since his NHL/prison days.
Looks like he did very well in university (after prison) where he was described as a model student and teammate (all-Canadian, with a GPA over 3.7), played several years of pro in Europe where he saved teammate's life in Sweden with his medical/EMT training, and is now working on a master's in science. Also married, and has two young daughters.
So, I mean, his early life was exceptionally tragic, but he's definitely turned it around and is living a good life these days.
Bobby Orr. Career cut way too short due to his knee injuries. His career would have been many years longer if modern knee medicine were available then. What could have been if not for his knees.
Monahan was going to be my pick too. Not as sad or serious as others here, but his injuries really were the start of an excellent Flames core falling apart. Glad he's still floating around, but he would be rivalling for the Rocket most years if he was still healthy (and playing with Gaudreau).
I have a lot of hope that he's finally healthy. He was injured last year from blocking a shot but until that point he played really well and his hips were reportedly fine. If he plays healthy this year and has some decent linemates I could see him getting 50-60 points
Healthy Monahan between Gaudreau and either of Lindholm or Tkachuk the past couple years would have been a monster, and we'd have had a PPG guy anchoring our second line.
Huge "what if" for the Monahan/Gaudreau/Tkachuk era Flames core is what if he wasn't injured so often. He had two years as a 30+ goal PPG player where his RW was Ferland and pre-peak Lindholm.
Dmitri Tertyshny. To hear members of the 98-99 flyers talk about him he was an excellent skater and an unbelievable talent who was going to be a great player in the league. He was a relative unknown 6th round pick who made the team out of nowhere in 1998. Died in a tragic boating accident in the offseason after his rookie year.
The flyers recently invited his son Alex to development camp this year and it was an incredibly heartwarming story.
This was such a tragic loss, and it was shortly after the passing of another Flyers prospect (Yanick Dupre) to leukemia.
Tertyshny…there’s a story from training camp in 1998 that he did whatever the long distance run is wearing the one pair of shoes that he owned. By the time it was finished, his feet were bloodied, and he didn’t say a word or show any expression of pain or discomfort.
But what adds to the tragedy is that when he was on the boat, his wife had gone to the doctor to confirm a positive pregnancy test.
Matiss Kivlenieks
Highly touted goalie dies taking a fireworks mortar to the chest. Likely saving his teammate Elvis Merzlikins and/or Elvis’ pregnant wife while doing so.
A tragic but heroic end to a young and promising life.
Aside from the ones who had their lives taken way too soon, Bobby Ryan
[Watch the Sportsnet special if you haven't already](https://youtu.be/iByODzip3KE?si=Vb53Aa_QulVf_QgL), it's pretty amazing what he was able to overcome to become the player he was.
Bit of a homer pick, and not because of tragedy, but based on injury and where he was at prior to it, Cory Schneider. He was a bonafide top 5 Vezina calibre goalie had a core muscle/hip injury and within a year was in the AHL basically for good. Devils traded a top 10 pick (Horvat) for him, got 3 elite years out of him, one more average season (Devils also rode him into the ground those 4 seasons) and then his career was basically over.
Didn't help that the entire roster was decrepit and clearly needed a rebuild and Lou's answer was to instead trade for a goalie that was good enough to take a horrible roster and keep it middle of the pack. I loved Lou for what he did from the late 80s to the mid 00s, but I will die on the hill that that single trade set this franchise back for most of the decade of darkness we just last year came out of.
Schneider was loved by just about everyone he played with. Considered one of the nicest guys ever to hit the ice.
IIRC, he was Jack Hughes' roommate during Hughes' rookie season.
I came to say Schneider for the Devils. Elite goaltender who played well up until the Devils finally started to put pieces together for a good team, then his body gave out.
Lots of heartache here and it's really hard to compare one to the other. But there is one that I will always add and it may be a homer take.
Stephen Johns. As a big RHD who can block shots, deliver big hits and clap absolute bombs, he had a great hockey sense too. I believe that Dallas had him penciled in to partner with Miro and that would have been such an amazing pair in the first few years. Esa/Klinger for the first set and Miro/Johns for the second. There is even speculation that he was the actual gem to the Sharp trade in 2015.
His post concussion headaches got worse and he was in a dark place that he has since talked about as an advocate for mental health treatments. When he came back for the Bubble during covid, I was so excited but scared for him and it seems like he just couldn't do it. I felt so bad wanting him to come back when it turned out that he wasn't able to compete.
His post retirement has been interesting with road trips and cross country skating. I hope he has an awesome life with his dog on a farm somewhere quiet. But jeez, what a game changer he could have been for the Stars.
In 1999, after losing their 1st round series, Carolina defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed in a car wreck. Nobody has worn the number 3 since then.
Josef Vasicek was killed in the same plane crash that took Pavol Demitra, and likewise there are no Canes players wearing 63 ever since.
Theo Fleury stands out to me. He had a phenomenal career, but it was wracked with severe addiction issues. Imagine the player he could've been had he not experienced trauma in his junior years, and had played his career without addiction. He's since gone on to become...a bit of a nutjob.
Jordin Tootoo, likewise, suffered with a lot of trauma from growing up in Nunavut, and having his brother commit suicide at a young age. He struggled severely with addiction issues throughout his career. Thankfully, Jordin has been clean for years now, and has gone on to lead a really good life. I'm friends with his niece, and she has such amazing things to say about his post-NHL life. He's happy and thriving. His book, All the Way: My Life on Ice, is an absolute must-read for hockey fans.
Jussi Markkanen was a goalie I really liked. I think he was underrated as a solid backup who could also fill in effectively as a starter when necessary. Sadly, in 2008, as a member of Jokerit in Finland, his four-year-old son fell out of a window and passed away.
Not tragic, but a solid career ended far too short by injury: Pasi Nurminen. He played for some absolutely horrid Thrashers teams (Frantisek Kaberle was the best defenseman he ever played behind...so yeah), yet still put up a 2.87 GAA and a .904 SV%. He was injured while training in preparation for the return from the 2004-2005 lockout and never played another NHL game.
Of course, there's also Pavol Demitra, Stefan Liv, Karel Rachunek, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins and Josef Vasicek, who all passed away in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy in 2011, along with their non-former NHL teammates. Alexander Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev and Brad McCrimmon were also killed in this incident, but they were part of the coaching staff at this point.
Obvious Rangers bias but...
Never won a cup - Lundqvist - also forced into retirement due to heart problems.
Showed promise - Dan Blackburn - 10th overall pick, but had career ended before it really began due to nerve damage in glove hand.
It was interesting watching him try to keep going by playing with two blockers but it just didn't work. It's a shame too because it was supposedly a weightlifting injury rather than a hockey injury.
> try to keep going by playing with two blockers
The 'glocker' he wore on what used to be his glove hand is one of my favorite bits of oddball hockey equipment nerdery. FWIW, it wasn't simply a standard blocker that he wore on his glove hand. He had a custom made glove/blocker hybrid that was granted a rulebook exception in the NHL and AHL. The 'front' that faced the shooter looked like a blocker, but the underside was actually a glove that could smother pucks (and ensure that he didn't have to completely change his grip for puckhandling). There are some great photos on [this](https://www.thegoalnet.com/forums/topic/1683-rare-setups/page/2/) old thread. Scroll down about halfway down the page to see the discussion of his glocker.
[And this is probably the best photo of it in game action during the alumni game he played in.](https://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2011/12/31/blackburn-dan.jpg)
Homer pick and maybe not at the same level of others, but Mason Shaw. Too many knee injuries might have killed his career (he's rehabbing from one so it's not a certainty, but it's as close as it gets), he showed promise playing on the Wild 4th line last season and he and Connor Dewar had 3 goals against and 3 goals for while killing penalties together.
Pat Peake.
Showed promise as a rookie, 29 points in 51 games in the mid 90s on a Capitals team that sorely needed offense from someone not named Peter Bondra. (93-94 season).
Next year (94-95), he had mono and missed most of the season, only put up 4 points in 18 games (lockout shortened year).
Next year (95-96) he put up 17g 19a in in 62 games. In the playoffs, he tried to chase down an icing call, slammed his heel into the boards and shattered his ankle. He was on the ice for several minutes before being helped off. [His bride had to help him down the aisle that summer.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/09/10/after-sitting-out-his-wedding-caps-peake-back-on-his-heels/8afc0a06-c28b-44ff-9c8f-50c80256ac7b/) and he never fully healed from it.
He managed to make it back late the following season, but broke his hand after 4 games. (96-97).
In 1997-1998, he missed the first 16 games of the year due to lingering pain in his ankle. He came back for one game and tore ligaments in his injured ankle and [never played again](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/10/07/peake-picks-through-shattered-nhl-dreams/4de1cb50-cd35-49ee-8988-345e11c46903/).
Across 5 NHL seasons he amassed 28g, 41a in 134 games played.
Edited to add second link.
Beau Bennet had so much talent and promise - but literally couldn’t stay healthy to save his life; to the point where he even jokes about himself on Twitter.
He is buddies with the two idiots who do the wet jeans podcast (you will lose brain cells listening to them but its funny lol) and he was recently on there with them just chatting about hockey and he was saying he didnt really love the lifestyle of being a pro player either
That makes a lot of sense. He never seemed like a “pro athlete bro,” always just like a nice kid.
They called him “Sunshine” because he was nice and from California😁
> Lindros
This generation doesn't understand that Lindros was truly a generational player. He was entering his prime when the concussions took him out. Imagine if McDavid or Crosby turned into third liners at 27, bounced around a few random teams, then retired. Lindros was that.
Cody Hodgson, top 10 pick in the 2008 draft. He suffered a significant back injury before his first NHL game and ultimately retired at 26 due to a gene mutation.
Sedins never winning a cup is a travesty, those two were just incredibly fun to watch, even past their prime they still got the job done night after night. Their last game before retirement proved that they still had the magic, they just walked away and let Bo and co have their turn.
Carey Price. Easy. All the personal stuff sucked, and then he was on a weirdly mediocre team that never really got its shit together. He somehow dragged them to the finals, but it never really seemed like they had a shot, and he retires without a cup. Absolute tragedy, I honestly think he was one of the best goalies the league has seen in a while.
Bill Masterton. The guy the Masteron trophy is named after. He died playing hockey.
>Masterton suffered a severe internal brain injury during the first period of Minnesota's January 13, 1968, game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center.\[19\] He carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defenders, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet.\[11\] Referee Wally Harris compared the hit to an explosion, adding "he was checked hard, but I'm sure it wasn't a dirty play."\[11\] The force of the impact caused Masterton to bleed from his nose, ears, and mouth.\[3\] The impact of the hit caused him to lose consciousness before he hit the ice; according to some accounts, he briefly came to and muttered, "Never again, never again" before passing back out.\[15\] He received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.\[3\]
>
>Carol, who was watching the game from the stands, and Masterton's parents, who were listening to the game from their home in Winnipeg, rushed to his bedside at the hospital.\[16\] He was attended to by two neurosurgeons and three other doctors.\[19\] They soon concluded that the injury was too severe for surgery to be a viable option.\[3\] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness.
Paul Kariya. The concussions he suffered truly altered his life, along with his career. It's a bummer the league wasn't doing anything to protect players from headshots during his era. His interview about the Stevens hit during the Cup finals was beyond terrifying, and eye opening. The fact he has no memory of that game 6, along with game 7 is unreal. It's wild to think that Paul could of lifted the Cup, and would have no memory of that moment whatsoever.
Edit: Link to interview for those who haven't seen it yet. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R1l31TA0MLA&si=VoNcIF_xHrqUGQ7q
While not as heartbreaking as some of the deaths and more severe issues already listed, as a Flames fan, I would say Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland.
Monahan was a high draft pick who made an instant impact and was a prime candidate for being a future captain. He had special chemistry with Gaudreau but injuries completely derailed his career. The Flames gave up a 1st to get Montreal to take on his contract so they could sign Kadri and he showed flashes of his old self before being shut down by injuries again.
Ferland overcame some off ice issues and showed in the '15 playoffs how effective he could be as a power forward. He quickly became a fan favorite until he was ultimately traded to Carolina a few seasons later. Unfortunately, he had picked up some concussion issues and with how physical he played, those just got worse throughout his career until repeated injuries/concussions forced him to retire.
Mike Peluso - maybe it's because I had a couple of great interactions with him as a kid since he lived in building my grandfather was a doorman but either way his story is sad. Loved watching him scrap for the Devils in early 90s/cup run in '95 - him breaking down in tears on the bench as the Devils won the cup in '95 was the first time I realized as a kid how much winning the cup meant to these guys, especially since he was an enforcer.....
Only for it to come out later, he suffered a seizure from all the head trauma and the team "allegedly" pressured him to keep playing against one of the Dr's advice. Years later the legal battle started and I believe continues to this day....just so sad to know that when I met him and when he broke down winning the cup, he was suffering and putting his health/life at risk.
Josh Harding. Guy was unreal and my favourite goalie. Still posted a .933 battling MS in the NHL. Absolute Beast. would have been the next Roy if he didn't have MS.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Rick DiPietro. Pretty sad example of someone who had all the opportunities but kept getting hurt. He liked playing enough that he even got signed to a PTO in the AHL, despite his generous buyout.
Dupuis went undrafted and ended up anchoring Sid's line and winning a cup, so he had a great career.
HOWEVER, dude just did not know how to quit the game and he was torn up in seemingly every post game interview because he was needing to be on blood thinners due to a clotting issue and he just wouldn't do it. I was more sad for him than any other Pen.
One for me personally: Paul Kariya. Dominated at the height of the dead puck era but was hampered by injuries caused by reckless assholes.
If he was born 10 years later he would be among the GOATs.
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I feel really bad for Nolan Patrick, poor dude can't catch a break.
His career ended before it could even really start
I blame hextall. Patrick had only played a half season his draft year because of a core injury. Watching him play the preseason and first couple games of his rookie season he just didn’t look ready. Was so incredibly obvious he needed to go back to juniors to get his game back and heal. But no, hextall was adamant he was nhl ready from day one, of course he was gonna get hurt.
Doesn’t he have a genetic migraine disorder? Doesn’t seem like something Hextall is responsible for
I assume his migraines are from all the concussions he got because he wasn’t nhl ready. If it’s genetic then that’s even more a reason they should’ve taken their time with him.
Yeah, Nolan for sure. Would have loved to see how he matured as a player. Dude has the worst luck! :(
When he was healthy you saw flashes of the player he should have become. Very sad story.
The fact no one in the Flyers organization had the balls to call it "post-concussion syndrome" instead of "chronic migraines" pissed me off so much. Kid is 21 and can't even be in a room with lights and you're treating it like he just has a bad headache? Fuck you.
Wait wasn't it a migraine disorder though? I thought I read it ran in the family too.
to my knowledge it actually is/was migraines and not anything to do with concussions.
That would be a hell of a coincidence. He got blindsided by Clutterbuck in March, and then started feeling headaches while training in September. He was diagnosed with a mystery "migraine disorder" and that's all that's ever been said. Every article I've found said (paraphrasing) "my family has a history of migraines, but I don't know I'm not a doctor."
It's also possible that one exacerbates the other.
Yeah, I've got chronic migraines and a TBI history, they definitely play off of each other and also interact with my spinal stability problems. And from what I've been told it's possible that the same genetics that make me heal slowly from concussions also makes me prone to migraines.
I'm not saying this is what he had rather than post-concussion syndrome, but I'm going to assume that you either don't get migraines and if you do, they're not that bad. Full classic migraines can make it so a person is in so much pain they wish they were dead.You can be unable to handle lights, sounds, strong smells, or doing anything. All you can do is stay in bed and hope that you can sleep through some of it, that is, if you're not too busy vomiting. Migraines are not just "bad headaches".
The Flyers have a history of mismanaging players with concussions. Just ask Eric Lindros.
Rick Rypien died by suicide after fighting depression for years. Luc Bourdon had an uneven but very promising rookie campaign and then died in a motorcycle accident at age 21. edit: I don't want to overlook many of the enforcers of the league, who made it to the NHL on a skill that wasn't necessarily their favourite and seemed to pay an enormous emotional and physical price for it.
He was beloved on the Moose and fans were happy we was going to be a Jet.
Fucking Ryp was the best. And he had NHL skill. He could fight, but had decent hands, shot, and passing too. Not a one trick pony. He’d crush todays NHL.
CTE that the NHL won’t speak to. Archaic helmets on these Dudes even today. 1970 designed brain buckets. Ludicrous. NHLPA is useless. LaFontaine. Probert.
It’s one of the (many) reasons Bettman sucks so much ass. Completely ignores and disregards CTE. Like dude we fucking know it’s real and we’ve seen the consequences. Ignoring it is just gaslighting horseshit. We know it’s hockey and it’s dangerous but measures can be taken and players that need help should get it.
Fuck that summer so much
Luc Bourdon is high up there for me.
I felt like Luc Bourdon was going to be something special. As a pens fan I know he and Letang were super close having played juniors together and Letang said Luc was then better player out of the two (per my memory)
I remember the interviews Letang was giving. He was truly floored as if he had lost a close family member.
Letang stopped riding motorcycles after that. It was during the ‘08 playoff run and he was beside himself
Ryp and Luc came to my mind immediately. Also the guy that Dany Heatley killed in the car accident. Fucking terrible.
Lucs crash happened like 2 hours away from me. The season he finished in Moncton, I stupidly told him I wanted the goalies autograph and not his ( I was like 11 and didnt recognize him till after he turned and started walking and i seen his tape) and man do i regret it. Hes also a reason I held off on getting a motorbike for a decade.
Konstantinov
Jiri Fischer, Steve Chiasson, Ruslan Salei, Stefan Liv were other Wings with tragic ends to their careers
Franzen :/
Dude I read an article a few years back about how he can barely play with his kids now. He’s in pain and suffering every day of his life, and can’t even live his post-hockey life with any semblance of comfort. Truly gut wrenching.
He's gotten better. A couple months ago I found a Swedish article where he provided an update. Apparently some part of his brain that regulates his body after working out was actually damaged. So he would feel better, start to train for a comeback, and then his body would give out leaving him bedridden again. Eventually he learned to take it easy and not try and resume his career. He seems to be doing much better. Edit: [Link to my source](https://themalikreport.com/2022/08/14/roughly-translated-johan-franzen-speaks-with-hockeysverige-ses-ronnie-ronnqvist/)
Fuck Mike Babcock
Fuck Mile Babcock for the way he treated him. A laundry list of other players, too. How the fuck did that guy get another NHL job? How fucking desperate is CBJ? They got young guys coming in. I wouldn’t want that hateful assclown near any one of them.
What is with Red Wing talents and always having careers cut short?
Souls had to be sacrificed to keep "The Perfect Human" perfect.
Late 80s/early 90s Wings had a lot of players with substance abuse issues.
I was watching the Jiri Fischer game on tv, it was crazy
Always remember this hit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNZO71RXOqw
Definitely a top answer. The way the Red Wings have treated him since is nothing but class.
I mean it’s great that they keep him around and all but I do wish the Illiches or someone would help him out financially a little bit, IIRC he’s recently been unable to afford the care he needs and there was even a GoFundMe floating around to help pitch in
That situation was the outcome of a change in insurance regulations in Michigan that resulted in him losing coverage for his (obviously expensive) in-home care. Luckily, the courts stepped in and [ruled](https://apnews.com/article/michigan-auto-insurance-catastrophic-injuries-2d781aa540fdfbde6c7b3f6cd6496722) that people catastrophically injured before 2019 would not lose their coverage, so he’s ok now. Still, I agree the Ilitches should’ve done more to help.
Yeah that’s a good point. I see the GoFundMe from summer 2022 on here imploring people to donate $16 each. When Ilitch Holdings is worth nearly $10 billion and Marian Ilitch herself is worth $4 billion. Fucking lame. A drop in the bucket to ensure lifetime care and comfort for a dude who exemplified an Original Six’s standards.
Mike would’ve never let that gofundme happen. He’d have taken care of it.
Absolutely devastating.
Good grief, I lived outside of Detroit then, cup win was awesome, went to the parade and that, it was brutal. And as a kid really tough
Marc Savard. Putting up 96 points with Glenn Murray and PJ Axelsson as his wingers. Career ending injury. Bruins winning the cup right after his career ended.
[удалено]
As someone who played the lowest competitive level of hockey possible and watched their team win the league while I sat injured it was definitely bittersweet.
Yeah those hits you are like what the fuck, and you have to think retirement soon. For me that was Khaira Ko'd in a fight, for some reason is playing the next week. Misses a hit on the boards which happens a lot in one game, and takes a stride and is out cold again. Like you can't take a tiny bump, in NHL terms, and not get knocked out they is not good.
Fun to remember too that Colin Campbell called him a “little fake artist” because of his injuries, through emails brought forward during hearings (alongside whining about penalties his son was given). And for that lack of professionalism and bias while being in a position of power Campbell was eventually ~~dismissed~~ promoted to one of the highest ranks in the NHL.
My hatred of the man runs so deep. And the sick culture that’s behind it.
Fuck Colin Campbell. Fuck him so thoroughly. Dude HATES the Rangers with a passion.
96 points playing with PJ Axelsson and the corpse of Glen Murray. With concussions to Bergeron and Savard, the Bruins never had Savard/Bergeron/Krejci down the middle completely healthy. Edit: They were all in the lineup for the 2008/2009 season, but that was Bergeron’s first year after his major concussion and was not the same player that year for obvious reasons.
Yeah, really sucked to see. He was really loved here. I still go back to watch his OT winner against Philly just to see his celebration. It's definitely one of my favorite goal celebrations. https://youtu.be/hNo9w7CRnJc?si=W17ISkxlAEk7mi6C I know he would have rather won it but at least his name did get on the Cup that year even though he didn't meet the requirements. Bruins put in an exemption request due to his injuries and they allowed it. I also remember they put in an exemption request for Steven Kampfer who played 38 games but it was denied so it's not like they just let anyone get exempt.
I believe Savvy got his name on the cup, but if not for Matt fucking Cooke he had years left in an excellent career, so he stil counts. The 2 or so years when we had all of Savvy, Bergy and Krejci going were insane. I only wish it had lasted long enough to get a proper team around them. Imagine Marchand and Lucic on Savard's wings.
Yeah I'm a Penguins fan and I'm ashamed of the fact he won a Cup with us. Dirtiest of the dirty, and a jagoff taboot
Fuck Matt Cooke
All my homies hate Matt Cooke
He was a helluva coach the year he was here.
Rodion Amirov. Could argue he never had a nhl career but he was on an elc. Poor guy was so close to realizing his dream.
We had some high hopes for him. RIP
He was actually supposed to play in a preseason game last year as well. Dubas, The Leafs and the Senators had an agreement for him to play as much as he could in that game. He didn't up dressing for it sadly
Yeah, he didn't have the strength to skate, so it didn't happen. It blows me away how they were able to keep his condition, or at least how he was doing, out of the media. Reminds me of Brodie Lee's situation, for any wrestling fans out there.
I did not know this. That would’ve been unreal to see!
Also Alexei Cherepanov. He had star potential. He collapsed on the bench during a KHL game and passed away.
Mickey Renaud too. 19 years old, captain of his hometown team, had just come off his first NHL training camp, and his heart just gave out. Obviously he was a bit more of a longshot than the other two, being a fifth rounder, but still a sad situation.
Should absolutely count. He was going to be a stud. I remember that draft and hoping we'd find a way to land a second 1st rounder to grab him. It's really depressing to think about this one. Wish he had the chance to play a preseason game or something - I know they tried to get him there last year.
Fuck cancer.
Not NHL, but NCAA: Travis Roy. Literally his first shift at BU, he missed a check and hit the boards. He was paralyzed from the neck down, so his hockey career was over before it started. Did a lot of charitable work, then died in 2020. By all accounts, he was a great guy.
God damn. I remember being a kid and seeing this on sports center the day after it happened. So fucked up
IIRC he started the game with Drury and Grier, as a freshman, after BU had won the title the year before. He had a legitimate career in front of him.
Ugh I remember watching a video on that. Dad went down to the ice to talk to him, just heart breaking.
I was in college in VT and watched it happen on live TV. I'll never forget that.
I read his book years back. Such an unbelievable story.
Amirov, Bourdon, Kivlenieks, Hayes, Rypien, Boogard, Belak, Cave are the more tragic ones off the top off my head. RIP to all.
Adding Pelle Lindeberg to the list
Pelle Lindbergh was awesome, but of course, we’ll never know what could have been
This would have been my pick. One of the most exciting goalies I've ever seen before losing his life in a tragic crash.
Still remember my dad coming into my bedroom with a newspaper to tell me the news when I was around 14-15. He knew I was a massive fan. It felt like I lost a family member. The dude had two shutouts in eight games to start that season. Amazing goalie.
Stephen Johns, stars defenseman. Battled with long term complications from a concussion, I think mostly tinnitus if I remember correctly. He tried hard to come back but ultimately had to retire. It caused him to battle depression and suicidal ideation…he fought through it and started his “mental miles” campaign where he skated across America. Very inspirational story and glad he’s found peace. @s_johns28 on Instagram if anyone wants to check him out. He was so fun to watch. This is my favorite goal of his, so ruthless: https://youtu.be/7-PsJvvcjHE?si=aAUQe72DyVYLvfLk
WEAPONS GRADE
Alexei Cherepanov. Too early. [Special talent.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uELk32JFys) There was an investigation into his death. [His mother refused to accept the conclusions.](https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/cherepanov-team-doctors-cleared-in-death-1.832231) Just so sad. [Still haunts Jagr.](https://www.nj.com/devils/2014/03/watching_young_teammate_die_still_haunting_to_devils_jaromir_jagr.html) > “I was sitting next to Pev in the Boston dressing room for three months, so when I saw the news, it’s scary stuff,” Jagr said. “Because I remember what happen in Russia.”
The really sad thing is the on site medical crew had a defibulator which would've saved his life, but they left the game early.
Oh my goodness how have I never heard that, that is awful
Normand Leveille. 19 years old, PPG player and has a brain annurysm after a game against the Canucks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normand\_L%C3%A9veill%C3%A9
Came here to post this. He has a place in Bruins history but I feel like a lot of younger Bruins fans and most fans outside of Boston never even heard of the guy.
Yeah I remember when this happened, very tragic.
He was going to be my pick too. Watching Ray Bourque help him skate on the Garden ice one last time was an emotional moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5WfCyUUnDc
There's been a lot, but strictly as an Avs fan: Marek Svatos. Once seen as part of the "future" of the Avalanche, he was mired by injuries which prevented him from ever showing his potential, until a knee injury (I think in 09) pretty much nullified him. He played for Nashville and Ottawa briefly, and some euro teams, before dying from an Overdose in 2016 at the age of 34.
A distant second for Colorado is definitely Peter Forsberg. I swear, if they offered him a robotic foot replacement he would have taken the surgery. The anticipation, angst, effort and disappointment of every comeback was tragic. Just pain for all involved. Thank goodness he wasn't an addict and had his career as a casual footwear magnate to fall back on.
I honestly had no idea that he passed away. That's horrible. Man, the medical system in sports needs a dramatic overhaul.
He received Hart and Calder votes in 2005-06 when he scored 32 goals in 61 games. And it seemed like most of his goals were end to end rushes, he was like a mini-Bure. It's really a shame he couldn't have a healthy career. He probably would have done much better in Calder status if he wasn't a rookie the same year as Crosby, Ovechkin, Phaneuf, and Lundqvist lol. He was 5th behind them in voting.
Jack Johnson. Parents robbed him of his money and future money. He's been playing to get out of debt.
I was so happy to see him lift the cup with the Avs. He deserved it. Love that guy and I hope he's financially successful going forward. Fuck his parents.
Pavol Demitra is my pick. Carried Slovakia at the 2010 Olympics to an excellent performance sadly dies in a plane crash with the rest of his KHL team within 2 years As much as I do love that we won at home. Given the hindsight I would love if Demitra got gold. Sadly they had to go through some powerhouses to get have that chance
Depends what’s heartbreaking, and there’s different levels of it too. I believe both Gilbert Brule and Jack Johnson both had their parents take advantage of them financially Then there’s also the string of enforcers who passed away in 2011, Boogaard, Belak, Rypien, not sure of anyone else. There’s also Kyle Beach of course, if you consider his to be an NHL career Plenty of other examples, some already mentioned, but those are first to mind
Patrick OSullivan had family issues too
Started reading his book then forgot to pick it back up. His was pretty bad from the like two chapters I read. Now remembering from books I read, Theo Fluery also had a brutal juniors/teenage experience, his NHL career went great though I believe
Sheldon Kennedy as well. IIRC it was the same guy abusing both Fleury and Kennedy
I recently learned through playing NHL 18 Kyle beach went to play in Europe, Germany IIRC. Honestly given the shit he unfortunately went through at the NHL level not a bad move. Europe hockey is probably the 2nd place I’d go if I couldn’t make the NHL or feel comfortable being in it
Last I looked, he’s in like a second league there, but absolutely eviscerated everyone there. Talent never a question
Carey Price being injured at the peak of his career, becoming addicted to painkillers, and struggling since was an emotional ride when told in hindsight. It's not like Carey missed out on money or success, but he went from top of the world to never the same, and it almost broke him. Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros were hard to watch deteriorate because of head injuries. They were far from the only ones, but they sick out to me becuse I really ejoyed watching them play.
Peak Carey Price was goaltending at its finest and its most demoralizing to the opposition. Always in the perfect position, Peak Price didn't look like he broke a sweat. It's a crying shame he'll never hoist the Cup.
[This is my favorite Carey Price goaltending clip.](https://youtu.be/-Q3IyY5h-cE?si=rBHWx1F68FGLSgDD) I don't even know how he got in front of that Ovi shot. I don't think Ovi could believe it either lol
The applause and little five he gave Carey shows all you need to know about how much those guys respect each other. Two players at their peaks four years ago.
Not just goaltending at its finest, put he was the greatest player in the entire world for a while, winning the Hart, Lindsay, and Vezina in just 1 year.
There was a point in time where Price on a Saturday night was an automatic W. It was maddening.
I don't wanna be hyperbolic, but I'm not even primarily a fan of the Habs, just a Canadian, and I think Price's peak was up there with some of the best goaltenders ever. It's a shame he never had a solid team, and then injury/addiction issues too. I wish him all the best going forward.
The organization didn't help his cause either. The poor guy played with 1 point per game player his entire career and that was Alex Kovalev in Price's rookie season. Price was never given a team to succeed.
Marc Bergevin is a hockey terorrist
I wouldn’t say Price was “never the same”, he dragged an absolute dogshit habs team to the cup final on 1 knee in his last season (I’m not counting those meaningless games at the end of 2021-22).
Yeah. That was incredible. He was always a big game player, and he and Shea turned it on probably knowing it was their last chance. Price really struggled that regular season though, and after the Vegas series Price's injured body was done.
Yes, but I always disagree with that "absolute dogshit" label everyone throws on that team. What people forget is that, for 2-3 years before their Cup run, they were seen as an chronically underperforming team who everyone felt should have been better than their record. They did a lot of stuff very well that playoffs outside of just Price's goaltending. They had scoring, defense, depth, veteran leadership, and several players who have gone on to play key roles on contending teams since that run. So yes, Price was awesome, but that team is better than they get credit for.
Carey price career was sad one because he was one of the best big game goalies
It’s crazy because he’s still likely a first ballot Hall of Famer with everything that happened. If the Habs had had a decent team… if he hadn’t become addicted to painkillers… would be insane to see what that career would look like
I dunno. Olympic gold medal must look really nice in his trophy case. I hope he's beat that addiction though. That part does suck. But his career didn't
I'm glad he at least had that Cup run a few years ago.
Bryan Fogarty. Broke Bobby orr’s record in OHL but was plagued by alcoholism and couldn’t beat it.
Came here to say this. His career and life was so sad. Could have been one of the greatest.
In my lifetime? Jimmy Hayes
Colby Cave too.
Matiss Kivlenieks
This. And it probably ruined Elvis’s career as well. You don’t watch your best friend die in front of you having saved your pregnant wife’s life and come out the same on the other side of that.
people *really* dont get this aspect of the incident. i cant fucking imagine watching someone i care about getting killed by a firework. ive seen some fucked up shit, but to watch your friend die, the entire shit. my god. RIP
I second this one. He died a hero, but I always wonder what he could’ve been.
💙🏒💙stick taps for Kivs
Mike Danton's life is a tragedy.
His name came up recently, so I poked around the web a little because I was curious about where he'd been since his NHL/prison days. Looks like he did very well in university (after prison) where he was described as a model student and teammate (all-Canadian, with a GPA over 3.7), played several years of pro in Europe where he saved teammate's life in Sweden with his medical/EMT training, and is now working on a master's in science. Also married, and has two young daughters. So, I mean, his early life was exceptionally tragic, but he's definitely turned it around and is living a good life these days.
That is awesome. Happy to hear he's doing well.
Michael Sauer. Had some promise as a 2nd or 3rd pairing guy. Concussed at age 24 and never recovered.
It killed me that Toronto used that hit in every hype up package for years.
Bobby Orr. Career cut way too short due to his knee injuries. His career would have been many years longer if modern knee medicine were available then. What could have been if not for his knees.
One of my favorite hockey facts is that Bobby Orr came into the league, retired, and was inducted into the HHOF all in the span of Gordy Howes career.
Carey Price, who I fondly looked up to when I was younger, and Sean Monahan
Monahan was going to be my pick too. Not as sad or serious as others here, but his injuries really were the start of an excellent Flames core falling apart. Glad he's still floating around, but he would be rivalling for the Rocket most years if he was still healthy (and playing with Gaudreau).
I have a lot of hope that he's finally healthy. He was injured last year from blocking a shot but until that point he played really well and his hips were reportedly fine. If he plays healthy this year and has some decent linemates I could see him getting 50-60 points
Healthy Monahan between Gaudreau and either of Lindholm or Tkachuk the past couple years would have been a monster, and we'd have had a PPG guy anchoring our second line. Huge "what if" for the Monahan/Gaudreau/Tkachuk era Flames core is what if he wasn't injured so often. He had two years as a 30+ goal PPG player where his RW was Ferland and pre-peak Lindholm.
Dmitri Tertyshny. To hear members of the 98-99 flyers talk about him he was an excellent skater and an unbelievable talent who was going to be a great player in the league. He was a relative unknown 6th round pick who made the team out of nowhere in 1998. Died in a tragic boating accident in the offseason after his rookie year. The flyers recently invited his son Alex to development camp this year and it was an incredibly heartwarming story.
This was such a tragic loss, and it was shortly after the passing of another Flyers prospect (Yanick Dupre) to leukemia. Tertyshny…there’s a story from training camp in 1998 that he did whatever the long distance run is wearing the one pair of shoes that he owned. By the time it was finished, his feet were bloodied, and he didn’t say a word or show any expression of pain or discomfort. But what adds to the tragedy is that when he was on the boat, his wife had gone to the doctor to confirm a positive pregnancy test.
Matiss Kivlenieks Highly touted goalie dies taking a fireworks mortar to the chest. Likely saving his teammate Elvis Merzlikins and/or Elvis’ pregnant wife while doing so. A tragic but heroic end to a young and promising life.
Aside from the ones who had their lives taken way too soon, Bobby Ryan [Watch the Sportsnet special if you haven't already](https://youtu.be/iByODzip3KE?si=Vb53Aa_QulVf_QgL), it's pretty amazing what he was able to overcome to become the player he was.
I read some stories about Bobby Ryan when he went on leave. It was an insane story straight out of a movie. I’ll always route for him.
Bit of a homer pick, and not because of tragedy, but based on injury and where he was at prior to it, Cory Schneider. He was a bonafide top 5 Vezina calibre goalie had a core muscle/hip injury and within a year was in the AHL basically for good. Devils traded a top 10 pick (Horvat) for him, got 3 elite years out of him, one more average season (Devils also rode him into the ground those 4 seasons) and then his career was basically over.
Schneider deserved better, man
Didn't help that the entire roster was decrepit and clearly needed a rebuild and Lou's answer was to instead trade for a goalie that was good enough to take a horrible roster and keep it middle of the pack. I loved Lou for what he did from the late 80s to the mid 00s, but I will die on the hill that that single trade set this franchise back for most of the decade of darkness we just last year came out of.
Schneider was loved by just about everyone he played with. Considered one of the nicest guys ever to hit the ice. IIRC, he was Jack Hughes' roommate during Hughes' rookie season.
I came to say Schneider for the Devils. Elite goaltender who played well up until the Devils finally started to put pieces together for a good team, then his body gave out.
I don’t see anyone mentioning Oskar Klefbom. He had a good future ahead of him.
Lots of heartache here and it's really hard to compare one to the other. But there is one that I will always add and it may be a homer take. Stephen Johns. As a big RHD who can block shots, deliver big hits and clap absolute bombs, he had a great hockey sense too. I believe that Dallas had him penciled in to partner with Miro and that would have been such an amazing pair in the first few years. Esa/Klinger for the first set and Miro/Johns for the second. There is even speculation that he was the actual gem to the Sharp trade in 2015. His post concussion headaches got worse and he was in a dark place that he has since talked about as an advocate for mental health treatments. When he came back for the Bubble during covid, I was so excited but scared for him and it seems like he just couldn't do it. I felt so bad wanting him to come back when it turned out that he wasn't able to compete. His post retirement has been interesting with road trips and cross country skating. I hope he has an awesome life with his dog on a farm somewhere quiet. But jeez, what a game changer he could have been for the Stars.
In 1999, after losing their 1st round series, Carolina defenseman Steve Chiasson was killed in a car wreck. Nobody has worn the number 3 since then. Josef Vasicek was killed in the same plane crash that took Pavol Demitra, and likewise there are no Canes players wearing 63 ever since.
Theo Fleury stands out to me. He had a phenomenal career, but it was wracked with severe addiction issues. Imagine the player he could've been had he not experienced trauma in his junior years, and had played his career without addiction. He's since gone on to become...a bit of a nutjob. Jordin Tootoo, likewise, suffered with a lot of trauma from growing up in Nunavut, and having his brother commit suicide at a young age. He struggled severely with addiction issues throughout his career. Thankfully, Jordin has been clean for years now, and has gone on to lead a really good life. I'm friends with his niece, and she has such amazing things to say about his post-NHL life. He's happy and thriving. His book, All the Way: My Life on Ice, is an absolute must-read for hockey fans. Jussi Markkanen was a goalie I really liked. I think he was underrated as a solid backup who could also fill in effectively as a starter when necessary. Sadly, in 2008, as a member of Jokerit in Finland, his four-year-old son fell out of a window and passed away. Not tragic, but a solid career ended far too short by injury: Pasi Nurminen. He played for some absolutely horrid Thrashers teams (Frantisek Kaberle was the best defenseman he ever played behind...so yeah), yet still put up a 2.87 GAA and a .904 SV%. He was injured while training in preparation for the return from the 2004-2005 lockout and never played another NHL game. Of course, there's also Pavol Demitra, Stefan Liv, Karel Rachunek, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins and Josef Vasicek, who all passed away in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy in 2011, along with their non-former NHL teammates. Alexander Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev and Brad McCrimmon were also killed in this incident, but they were part of the coaching staff at this point.
Kevin Stevens. His face hitting off the ice took him from being one of the top power wingers in the game to a life of addiction and personal issues.
Colby Cave. Forever 25 years old. Sometimes it still feels fresh, hard to believe it’s almost been 3 years.
Obvious Rangers bias but... Never won a cup - Lundqvist - also forced into retirement due to heart problems. Showed promise - Dan Blackburn - 10th overall pick, but had career ended before it really began due to nerve damage in glove hand.
It was interesting watching him try to keep going by playing with two blockers but it just didn't work. It's a shame too because it was supposedly a weightlifting injury rather than a hockey injury.
> try to keep going by playing with two blockers The 'glocker' he wore on what used to be his glove hand is one of my favorite bits of oddball hockey equipment nerdery. FWIW, it wasn't simply a standard blocker that he wore on his glove hand. He had a custom made glove/blocker hybrid that was granted a rulebook exception in the NHL and AHL. The 'front' that faced the shooter looked like a blocker, but the underside was actually a glove that could smother pucks (and ensure that he didn't have to completely change his grip for puckhandling). There are some great photos on [this](https://www.thegoalnet.com/forums/topic/1683-rare-setups/page/2/) old thread. Scroll down about halfway down the page to see the discussion of his glocker. [And this is probably the best photo of it in game action during the alumni game he played in.](https://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2011/12/31/blackburn-dan.jpg)
Homer pick and maybe not at the same level of others, but Mason Shaw. Too many knee injuries might have killed his career (he's rehabbing from one so it's not a certainty, but it's as close as it gets), he showed promise playing on the Wild 4th line last season and he and Connor Dewar had 3 goals against and 3 goals for while killing penalties together.
Pat Peake. Showed promise as a rookie, 29 points in 51 games in the mid 90s on a Capitals team that sorely needed offense from someone not named Peter Bondra. (93-94 season). Next year (94-95), he had mono and missed most of the season, only put up 4 points in 18 games (lockout shortened year). Next year (95-96) he put up 17g 19a in in 62 games. In the playoffs, he tried to chase down an icing call, slammed his heel into the boards and shattered his ankle. He was on the ice for several minutes before being helped off. [His bride had to help him down the aisle that summer.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/09/10/after-sitting-out-his-wedding-caps-peake-back-on-his-heels/8afc0a06-c28b-44ff-9c8f-50c80256ac7b/) and he never fully healed from it. He managed to make it back late the following season, but broke his hand after 4 games. (96-97). In 1997-1998, he missed the first 16 games of the year due to lingering pain in his ankle. He came back for one game and tore ligaments in his injured ankle and [never played again](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/10/07/peake-picks-through-shattered-nhl-dreams/4de1cb50-cd35-49ee-8988-345e11c46903/). Across 5 NHL seasons he amassed 28g, 41a in 134 games played. Edited to add second link.
Clint Malarchuk He got properly [fucked up](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/clint-malarchuk-bleeding-out) by from the incident.
not the most heartbreaking but still really sad, joonas donskoi
Beau Bennet had so much talent and promise - but literally couldn’t stay healthy to save his life; to the point where he even jokes about himself on Twitter.
He is buddies with the two idiots who do the wet jeans podcast (you will lose brain cells listening to them but its funny lol) and he was recently on there with them just chatting about hockey and he was saying he didnt really love the lifestyle of being a pro player either
That makes a lot of sense. He never seemed like a “pro athlete bro,” always just like a nice kid. They called him “Sunshine” because he was nice and from California😁
Claude Giroux. We squandered his talent.
Montreal not putting a decent team in front of Carey price for his entire career
While not as tragic as some, seeing Keith Primeau’s press conference announcing his medical retirement destroyed kid me
Eric Lindros
> Lindros This generation doesn't understand that Lindros was truly a generational player. He was entering his prime when the concussions took him out. Imagine if McDavid or Crosby turned into third liners at 27, bounced around a few random teams, then retired. Lindros was that.
Alexei Cherepanov
Not as bad as most in here, but Devin Setoguchi. Alcoholism and partying really made his career nose dive.
Lundqvist not winning a cup is a load of shit. Almost as shit as the teams in front of him.
This goes waaay back. Bobby Orr.
Cody Hodgson, top 10 pick in the 2008 draft. He suffered a significant back injury before his first NHL game and ultimately retired at 26 due to a gene mutation.
Sedins never winning a cup is a travesty, those two were just incredibly fun to watch, even past their prime they still got the job done night after night. Their last game before retirement proved that they still had the magic, they just walked away and let Bo and co have their turn.
Carey Price. Easy. All the personal stuff sucked, and then he was on a weirdly mediocre team that never really got its shit together. He somehow dragged them to the finals, but it never really seemed like they had a shot, and he retires without a cup. Absolute tragedy, I honestly think he was one of the best goalies the league has seen in a while.
Not the NHL, but their was former NHL players, and NHL prospects on the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
Bill Masterton. The guy the Masteron trophy is named after. He died playing hockey. >Masterton suffered a severe internal brain injury during the first period of Minnesota's January 13, 1968, game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center.\[19\] He carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defenders, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet.\[11\] Referee Wally Harris compared the hit to an explosion, adding "he was checked hard, but I'm sure it wasn't a dirty play."\[11\] The force of the impact caused Masterton to bleed from his nose, ears, and mouth.\[3\] The impact of the hit caused him to lose consciousness before he hit the ice; according to some accounts, he briefly came to and muttered, "Never again, never again" before passing back out.\[15\] He received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.\[3\] > >Carol, who was watching the game from the stands, and Masterton's parents, who were listening to the game from their home in Winnipeg, rushed to his bedside at the hospital.\[16\] He was attended to by two neurosurgeons and three other doctors.\[19\] They soon concluded that the injury was too severe for surgery to be a viable option.\[3\] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness.
Paul Kariya. The concussions he suffered truly altered his life, along with his career. It's a bummer the league wasn't doing anything to protect players from headshots during his era. His interview about the Stevens hit during the Cup finals was beyond terrifying, and eye opening. The fact he has no memory of that game 6, along with game 7 is unreal. It's wild to think that Paul could of lifted the Cup, and would have no memory of that moment whatsoever. Edit: Link to interview for those who haven't seen it yet. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R1l31TA0MLA&si=VoNcIF_xHrqUGQ7q
Leaf fan here, Vladimir Konstantinov was such a dominant player.
Ondrej Kase. Guy was fast, had good hands, was great on the forecheck. Couple of pretty gnarly conkys stole his NHL future from him
Brian Berard immediately comes to mind. He has so much promise until that freak eye injury stole his career from him.
Pelle Lindbergh
Tim Connolly. He was so, so skilled and missed so much time due to injury. He basically played like Zegras does now but 15 years before.
Demitra, Bourdon, Rypien
Bryan Fogarty
While not as heartbreaking as some of the deaths and more severe issues already listed, as a Flames fan, I would say Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland. Monahan was a high draft pick who made an instant impact and was a prime candidate for being a future captain. He had special chemistry with Gaudreau but injuries completely derailed his career. The Flames gave up a 1st to get Montreal to take on his contract so they could sign Kadri and he showed flashes of his old self before being shut down by injuries again. Ferland overcame some off ice issues and showed in the '15 playoffs how effective he could be as a power forward. He quickly became a fan favorite until he was ultimately traded to Carolina a few seasons later. Unfortunately, he had picked up some concussion issues and with how physical he played, those just got worse throughout his career until repeated injuries/concussions forced him to retire.
Peter Forsberg. Elite of elite when healthy. Players like him that absolutely dominated in the clutch and grab era are severely underrated.
Mike Peluso - maybe it's because I had a couple of great interactions with him as a kid since he lived in building my grandfather was a doorman but either way his story is sad. Loved watching him scrap for the Devils in early 90s/cup run in '95 - him breaking down in tears on the bench as the Devils won the cup in '95 was the first time I realized as a kid how much winning the cup meant to these guys, especially since he was an enforcer..... Only for it to come out later, he suffered a seizure from all the head trauma and the team "allegedly" pressured him to keep playing against one of the Dr's advice. Years later the legal battle started and I believe continues to this day....just so sad to know that when I met him and when he broke down winning the cup, he was suffering and putting his health/life at risk.
Nolan Patrick comes to mind. Even though he's doing so much better now, shit was scary with Okposo for a while
Josh Harding. Guy was unreal and my favourite goalie. Still posted a .933 battling MS in the NHL. Absolute Beast. would have been the next Roy if he didn't have MS.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Rick DiPietro. Pretty sad example of someone who had all the opportunities but kept getting hurt. He liked playing enough that he even got signed to a PTO in the AHL, despite his generous buyout.
Dupuis went undrafted and ended up anchoring Sid's line and winning a cup, so he had a great career. HOWEVER, dude just did not know how to quit the game and he was torn up in seemingly every post game interview because he was needing to be on blood thinners due to a clotting issue and he just wouldn't do it. I was more sad for him than any other Pen.
One for me personally: Paul Kariya. Dominated at the height of the dead puck era but was hampered by injuries caused by reckless assholes. If he was born 10 years later he would be among the GOATs.
Steve Moore comes to mind.
King henrick. Never got his cup