yave1964 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 If you only read one book this offseason.... I know it has been out for a little while but I finally bought it on Ebay and got around to reading it, an eye opening account of what goes on behind the scenes in the NHL in regards to injuries. The author details Boogaards multiple broken knuckles and lost teeth and everything else that goes into being a hockey player, how he was never given time to heal, multiple doctors, none in touch with each other giving pain medicine on top of pain medicine, the teams turning a blind eye to head trauma..... It is like they say about sausage, if you ever want to eat sausage just don't watch what goes into it. The same with this book, you may never look at injuries or 'sports medicine' quite the same way again. Meticulously detailed, it captures who Boogaard was as well as so many of these kids, struggling to hold a job in the NHL, hiding injuries, hiding concussions (not that the team looks too closely for them). Times have changed. Supposedly anyway. Lets hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I haven't read the book, but have read quite a good number of articles about Boogaard's situation, including Branch's lengthy and detailed NY Times pieces which showed turned into this book, indicating the massive amount of drugs handed his way, and how the doctors in Minnesota and New York gave him such shabby care. Eight different Wild doctors were giving him prescriptions for oxycontin and Ambien, even when they knew he was hopelessly addicted. Rangers doctors gave him a clean bill of health even when he couldn't come up with a single word which began with the letter "r" during an exam. It's outrageous. CBC's "The Fifth Estate" recently also had an excellent look into Boogaard and sports medicine in general: Also: Between reading what I've come across, as well as the above documentaries, it's clear that team doctors aren't working for their patient, and also that the NHL substance abuse program is just there for show. Hell, Theoren Fleury was busted with dirty urine dozens of times before the league even talked to him about entering the program. When I first heard of the Boogaard family's lawsuit, my initial thought was "gimme a break", but after all of that reading, I came away with a different persepective. Before we left Regina, we lived a couple of blocks away from Boogaard's mother's house, and after his death, whenever I drove by, I always thought about the situation. Every time. Couldn't help but feel bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 @JR Ewing I am with you in that most of the time when the family starts talking about a lawsuit the first thing that pops into my mind is cash grab, but this is absolutely not what this is. Doctors turned the blind eye to what other doctors were doing, the team didn't care about Boogaard the person. The rangers with their non existent concussion protocol proved they were just as bad. Like I said previously elsewhere, I love fighting and feel it has a place in the game. If I have a quibble in the way the Wings are built it is our lack of pugilists. But after the deaths of Rypien, Boogaard and Belak it forced the league to take notice of what the effects of constant hits to the head have caused.\ I would like to think that the league now is fully in concert with the players and that safety is the number one concern. Of course my three year old grandson believes in the Easter Bunny and Santa too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Rangers doctors gave him a clean bill of health even when he couldn't come up with a single word which began with the letter "r" during an exam ruxpin! How could he not get that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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