Chris Simon was a part of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise from 1992-93 through the 1995-96 season, when the franchised moved to Colorado. While he was a hockey player, he was one of many who suffered his fair share of concussions. With what we know now, and what went unknown for decades, the effects of the physicality of hockey were an issue for Simon as he reportedly suffered from several different effects, including depression, PTSD, anxiety arthritis, and eventually suicide.
On Monday, it was revealed that Simon was posthumously diagnosed with CTE.
Simon was the 25th overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. His first action in the NHL was with the Nordiques in 1992-93 and he played in the league until 2007-08, where he finished his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild. Following his last season in the NHL, he spent five years in the KHL.
It would be unfair and unwise to predict how many concussions Simon had without any proof, so let’s stay away from that. However, the sad reality of sports is that, before technology became more advanced, you could pretty much hide a concussion.
It’s really a scary thing to see; The fact that players hide their concussions from medical doctors and their team just so that they can stick around longer. Ultimately, it’s a risk that nobody should take. Sure, you’d still want to be making millions of dollars for several years, but the love of the game and the money it pays should not compete with your long-term health.
The NFL introduced guardian caps for player safety in 2022. They are pads for the helmets for players. Unfortunately, some players were opposed to wearing them, likely for several reasons, but one of those reasons, said by J.J. Watt (defensive end at the time), was that they “made you feel like a bobble head.”
According to the Boston University CTE Center, a player’s risk of developing CTE increased by 34 percent for every year played. That’s absolutely devastating.
I wish that I had the answer(s) for limiting or preventing concussions in sports, but it just is a complicated situation. Thankfully, as years go by, there should be more knowledge about concussions and how to treat them going forward, both while players are in their respective sport as well as in their post-pro careers.
In 2018, hundreds of former NHL players sued the NHL for “failing to protect them from head injuries or warning them of the risks involved with playing.” The players won, and a $19 million settlement was reached. Unfortunately, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman denies that hockey and CTE to this day.
I’ll leave you with one last thought. Whether you are a pro sport athlete or suffer from these severe conditions from whatever it is that you encountered in your life, please reach out to professionals.