The age-old debates over fighting and head injuries in hockey were reignited this week by the tragic suicide of long-time NHL enforcer Chris Simon, a complicated 52-year-old former player who was whistled for 101 fighting majors over his 15-year career.'I'm angry and devastated at such a senseless tragedy,' NHL agent Allan Walsh wrote on X. '101 fighting majors and [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman still denies the cumulative effects of repetitive head impacts. There is retired NHL players (sic) blood on Gary's hands. My condolences and sympathies to Chris' family and friends.'The degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has already been blamed for Simon's death by his family, who explained in a statement that he 'struggled immensely' with the condition. But CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously, so that definitive conclusion, as well as other potential factors, may not be verified for some time.
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