Above Watch: The family of former Flames defensemen Steve Montador is planning to sue the NHL after it was discovered the athlete was suffering from brain disease related to concussions. Heather Yourex reports.
TORONTO – An analysis of Steve Montador‘s brain shows the late NHL player had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and his family now plans to sue the league.
“The Montador family’s suspicions have been confirmed: Steve Montador’s 35-year-old brain was decaying due to the head hits he endured during his NHL career,” claimed a statement from Corboy and Demetrio attorney William T. Gibbs, the lawyer representing the Montador family.
Gibbs’ law firm also represents the family of Derek Boogaard, the NHL player who died after suffering the effects of CTE; the case is still in litigation.
READ MORE: The sad rise and fall of Derek Boogaard
Montador was a 35-year-old retired defenceman who sustained multiple concussions during his career. He played for the Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, and suffered a concussion while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in February 2012. The statement said he retired while playing hockey overseas “due to the concussion’s lingering effects.”
“Through hard work and dedication, Steven achieved his big dream of playing professional hockey in the NHL,” reads a portion of the statement quoting Montador’s father, Paul.
“He always knew that there might be black eyes, broken bones and soft tissue injuries – but he never anticipated that playing the game he loved would result in such devastating impairment of his brain function. CTE changed everything.”
READ MORE: Mood swings, memory loss first symptoms of brain disease in hockey, football players
Montador’s brain was donated after his death on February 15 to the Canadian Sports Concussion Project at Toronto’s Krembil Neuroscience Centre’s for analysis.
Project head Dr. Charles Tator says the autopsy showed the widespread presence of CTE throughout Montador’s brain.
Prior to his death, the former NHLer had suffered from depression, erratic behaviour and problems with his memory.
“We feel that the widespread nature of the damage to his brain would account for his clinical symptoms,” said Tator.
The brain of former Calgary Stampeder John Forzani was also donated to the project after his death last October at age 67, but no signs of CTE were found, despite a history of multiple concussions.
Tator said about half of the brains of the players they’ve studied have had the brain disease, and doctors are still investigating the cause.
“Whether it’s a genetic susceptibility of the actual number of concussions, or the severity of concussions, or the interval between concussions, we don’t really know why some get it and some don’t.”
READ MORE: Former players sue NHL, alleging league hid risks of concussions
The neuroscientist said his team isn’t happy with the “level of concern for this condition” and would like to see increased preventative efforts including modified elbow and shoulder pads and longer recovery times after head injuries.
“We’d like to see players managed appropriately once they’ve had a concussion. We don’t want to see players stagger off the ice and then five minutes later, he’s back playing.”
With files from Global’s Heather Yourex and The Canadian Press
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