Tragic update on the death of former NHL player Chris Simon.

Tragic details surrounding the death of former NHLer Chris Simon released on Monday morning.

For 782 games in the National Hockey League fans of the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild cheered for former NHL forward Chris Simon… and then suddenly on March 18th of 2024 Chris Simon was no more.

As many of you reading this will already know, Simon would take his own life on that fateful day leaving the entire hockey community in shock. What it also left however were a number of questions about how this could have happened again, after we have witnessed so many tragedies similar to it in our beloved sport of hockey over the years.

On Monday morning, we were given some of the answers to those questions when neuroscientist and CTE expert Chris Nowinski took to social media to share the results of some truly tragic findings. According to Nowinski, the Boston University CTE Center diagnosed Simon with stage 3 CTE, confirming that Simon’s brain had been severely damaged prior to the incident that resulted in him losing his life just a little over one year ago.

Alongside the diagnosis was a statement from Chris Simon’s closest family members including his father John Simon, his mother Linda Simon and his sister Charlee Simon. I would caution our readers that this statement is difficult to read, and for the sake of preserving the family’s message I have published it unedited and in full.

Chris was suffering tremendously from CTE. We saw him declining but did not know where to turn to for help. Chris’ short term memory issues were ongoing for many years. We also learned that he had lost most of his hearing, had daily headaches, light sensitivity, paranoia, was easily frustrated with tasks, had extreme anxiety, difficulty navigating in a vehicle, apathy- lack of feeling and emotion, impulsivity, distancing himself from those who meant the most to him, had executive dysfunction – meaning he couldn’t plan or problem solve and he had suicidal thoughts at times. Chris really distanced himself from his family and friends the last three years of his life. This has been extremely difficult on us, as the Chris we knew had been gone for quite some time. Looking back we now realize that Chris likely started suffering from CTE in his late 20s to early 30s. Our entire family suffered for many years as we saw our son, brother, father, husband slip away from us and we couldn’t do anything to help him. Before we lost Chris to CTE, he was a very gentle, loving man whose family meant the world to him. We know that Chris would want more than anything that former players and families now know where to turn to for help if they suspect their loved one is suffering from TBI, PCS and CTE so they can get the support they desperately need.

Our family is extremely thankful to Dr. Ann McKee, Lisa McHale and all staff at Boston University CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation for all of their work and support. We are relieved that stage 3 CTE was definitively found in his brain as it will help bring some closure and healing to his family and friends. The unfortunate feeling of anger is also present due to the negligence of a professional league turning a blind eye to CTE and other significant brain injuries sustained in the sport of hockey.

Nowinski himself released a statement as well, one that condemned the NHL for their inaction in these matters.

“With each new diagnosis of CTE in a former NHL player, the NHL’s lack of leadership on this issue becomes more intolerable,” said Nowinski. “Yet their denial strengthens our resolve to support the hockey community through our free HelpLine and advance research focused on diagnosing CTE during life and developing effective treatments.”

Simon had an extensive career in the National Hockey League, appearing in nearly 800 games and scoring 144 goals and 161 assists for a career total of 305 points in the league. He won a Stanley Cup in 1996 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche but was best known for being an exceptionally tough and even feared player during his time in the league, something his 1824 career penalty minutes can attest to.

His tragic death was a devastating blow to the hockey community and I can only hope that today’s diagnosis can serve as one more step towards preventing any incidents like this from ever happening again in the future.

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