Review Of Boy On Ice

I was a huge Derek Boogaard fan. He was the ultimate NHL Enforcer when he was on the ice. He had the size, he had the pugilistic skills, and he played in the hockey hot bed of Minnesota. I used to scour hockeyfights.com for videos of his fights. The fight he had with Todd Fedoruk was scary because of the destructive power of Boogard's right fist.

I was a Derek Boogaard fan for his ability to fight and that was the wrong reason. His ability to fight was really the only reason he was in the NHL. Author John Branch brought out the pressure that Boogaard felt to do "his job" in Boy On Ice: The Life And Death Of Derek Boogaard. I had heard a book was in the works and I snatched it up as soon as I saw it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. It was well researched and well written but it was a very tragic story. The story followed Derek Boogaard from his youth through his development as a larger than life character until his tragic early death. The physical and emotional pain, the pressure he felt to deliver for his teammates, friends, and family, all led to his tragic end. All he seemed to want to do was to be a good teammate and friend and to be a hockey player.

The system that surrounds and protects professional athletes failed him. The system enabled him to develop addictions to prescription painkillers with only token attempts at rehab and genuine help. The multiple concussions he received doing "his job" left him with a scarred brain and in all likelihood he would have been a vegetable by the time he was in his 40's.

John Branch did a great job of exposing the failures of the NHL support system but it just wasn't the NHL. Many NHL enforcers have died tragic deaths at very young ages over the past several years. Several have been by suicide. Rick Rypien of the Vancouver Canucks comes to mind.

Professional sports has done a much better job of protecting it's most valuable assets and that is their players. Most professional sports have concussion protocols in place and have really amped up their drug testing and rehab programs.