Hockey Player Derek Boogaard Dead at 28 (Blog, Video)

(UPDATE: Two notes to add: Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports that the Boogaard family will donate his brain to the Boston University researchers who study brain disease in athletes.
Larry Brooks of the NY Post Tweeted that Boogaard was receiving counseling in the NHL/PA Behavorial Health/Substance Abuse Program at the time of his death.)

Terribly tragic news in the hockey world tonight as New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard(notes) has passed away at the age of 28.

Boogaard was found dead inside his apartment in Minneapolis by family members. No cause of death is known at the moment, but an autopsy will be performed.

From the Rangers:

"Derek was an extremely kind and caring individual," said New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather. "He was a very thoughtful person, who will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time."

Late Friday, the NHLPA released a statement on Boogaard's passing:

"The NHLPA is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Derek Boogaard. Derek was a well-liked and respected member of the NHLPA, and his passing is a great loss to the entire hockey community. Our sincere condolences to Derek's many friends and family during this difficult time."

Boogaard played 277 NHL games between the Minnesota Wild and Rangers. He last played on Dec. 9 and missed the rest of his first season in New York with a concussion he suffered after a fight with Ottawa's Matt Carkner(notes). Known as "The Boogey Man" for being one of the league's toughest fighters, Boogaard dropped the gloves 61 times during his six-year NHL career.
The highlight of Boogaard's first year with the Rangers was this goal against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 30 to snap a 234-game goal drought:



The Minnesota Star Tribune's Michael Russo reached out to Boogaard's former Wild teammate Niklas Backstrom(notes) upon hearing the news:

"I don't know how to describe it," said goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who sat six feet away from Boogaard in the Wild locker room for four years. "It's really hard. Unreal guy. Great friend and an awesome teammate. Just a really big teddy bear. Outside the rink, he didn't want bad for anyone."

According to the New York Daily News, the Minneapolis medical examiner did not suspect foul play and an investigation is currently underway. The autopsy results will not be known for a few weeks.

yahoo.com

Hockey Player Derek Boogaard Dead at 28 (Blog, Video)

(UPDATE: Two notes to add: Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports that the Boogaard family will donate his brain to the Boston University researchers who study brain disease in athletes.
Larry Brooks of the NY Post Tweeted that Boogaard was receiving counseling in the NHL/PA Behavorial Health/Substance Abuse Program at the time of his death.)

Terribly tragic news in the hockey world tonight as New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard(notes) has passed away at the age of 28.

Boogaard was found dead inside his apartment in Minneapolis by family members. No cause of death is known at the moment, but an autopsy will be performed.

From the Rangers:

"Derek was an extremely kind and caring individual," said New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather. "He was a very thoughtful person, who will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time."

Late Friday, the NHLPA released a statement on Boogaard's passing:

"The NHLPA is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Derek Boogaard. Derek was a well-liked and respected member of the NHLPA, and his passing is a great loss to the entire hockey community. Our sincere condolences to Derek's many friends and family during this difficult time."

Boogaard played 277 NHL games between the Minnesota Wild and Rangers. He last played on Dec. 9 and missed the rest of his first season in New York with a concussion he suffered after a fight with Ottawa's Matt Carkner(notes). Known as "The Boogey Man" for being one of the league's toughest fighters, Boogaard dropped the gloves 61 times during his six-year NHL career.
The highlight of Boogaard's first year with the Rangers was this goal against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 30 to snap a 234-game goal drought:



The Minnesota Star Tribune's Michael Russo reached out to Boogaard's former Wild teammate Niklas Backstrom(notes) upon hearing the news:

"I don't know how to describe it," said goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who sat six feet away from Boogaard in the Wild locker room for four years. "It's really hard. Unreal guy. Great friend and an awesome teammate. Just a really big teddy bear. Outside the rink, he didn't want bad for anyone."

According to the New York Daily News, the Minneapolis medical examiner did not suspect foul play and an investigation is currently underway. The autopsy results will not be known for a few weeks.

yahoo.com

RIP: FORMER NHL COACH, PAT BURNS, DIES AT 58

Former NHL coach Pat Burns has died. He was 58. Burns led the New Jersey Devils to the 2003 Stanley Cup title, has died. He was 58. Devils President Lou Lamoriello says Burns died of cancer Friday in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Lamoriello said hockey has lost a “great friend and ambassador.”

Burns led New Jersey to its third Stanley Cup championship when the Devils beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in seven games. Burns also coached Boston, Toronto and Montreal, twice leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals.  He also led the Canadiens to the NHL championship in his first season with Montreal.

He was the first coach to win three Jack Adams Awards as the NHL’s top coach. RIP.

Weekend Pre: A Traditional TV Threesome

Many options exist for TV sports viewing this weekend -- especially with the World Cup and college baseball on the ESPN family of networks -- but three events stand out. Tradition plays a role in the reason for watching each.

First, England-United States in the World Cup at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC. It's the most tradition-rich sporting event in the world, and while many here in the United States will be watching here only for nationalistic purposes, it should still be worth watching.

There will be no recommendation in this space to watch all 64 games of the World Cup, or even a quarter of them, but an effort to take in the U.S. team seems appropriate.

Second, baseball's best tradition -- a dominant pitcher -- provides the reason to watch Washington Nationals rookie Steven Strasburg face the Cleveland Indians at 1 p.m. Sunday on TBS. Another interleague game (Phillies-Red Sox) was scheduled in that spot, but TBS asked to change and Major League Baseball wisely OK'd the switch so Strasburg's second big league start could be televised. People will tune in to see Strasburg. There's just something appealing about a good pitcher.

Third, Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics tips off at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC. It has become a solid series, worth watching. In addition, the NBA has provided a nice proving grounds for the use of instant replay and Jeff Van Gundy continues to emerge as a solid color commentator.

Short Waves
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll chimed in on the USC sanctions from a safe distance, and without dealing with any reporters. Video of his statement carried by ESPN was credited to PeteCarrollTV. What's that? Why the personal YouTube channel for the coach, of course. ... Ratings for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals were the highest in more than 35 years. The Blackhawks' clinching game against the Flyers in Philadelphia attracted more than 8 million viewers -- the most for an NHL playoff game since 1974.

Stanley Cup Finals Score Strong at Start

The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals (thanks to large-market participants Chicago and Philadelphia) have posted higher combined ratings than the first two games of last year's championship series, and Game 2 helped NBC earn the highest ratings among 18- to 49-year-old viewers on Monday night.

Game 1 on Saturday grabbed the best overnight rating for the first game of the Finals in 11 years. It produced a 2.8 rating and a 6 share, drawing more than 7 million viewers nationally. It was up 12 percent from last year.

In the team markets Saturday, 35 percent of all TVs were tuned into the game in Chicago and 25 percent in Philadelphia.

On Monday, the national numbers were even with last year's Game 2 between Pittsburgh and Detroit last year. About 7 million people watched on Monday.

Midweek numbers for the next game might not be as high, but the numbers are a good start for the NHL.

For comparison, though, the gold medal game from the Oympics between the United States and Canada drew more than 27 million viewers in the United States. So, nationalism apparently sells better than playoff hockey -- even hockey at its highest level.

NHL Tries Too Hard for Olympic Bounce

When radio and TV talkers speculated about a possible popularity bounce for the NHL in the wake of a strong Olympic tournament -- notably the two Canada-United States machups -- they proffered numerous possibilities for the sport to build off that apparent success.

Whether TV ratings for a once-every-four-year event really mean anything for the least popular pro sports league in the United States might take a long time to determine.

Still, the NHL showed subtlety was not part of its post-Olympics plan Tuesday night.

On the FSN broadcast of the Buffalo Sabres game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a matchup that included the Olympic tournament MVP (U.S. goalie Ryan Miller who plays for Buffalo) and the player who scored the decisive goal in the gold medal game (Canadian forward Sidney Crosby who plays for Pittsburgh), pre-game introductions included individual recognition of all Olympic hockey players participating in the game.

With the Olympic theme music in the background at the Mellon Arena, the public address announcer announced every player from each international team and the arnea spotlight then focused on each of the players, culminating with Crosby. While the approach produced some interested results, among them a big ovation for Miller in a rival arena, it also showed that the NHL does not believe its product can stand on its own.

As much as pro hockey could use a boost, it has to craft success on more than just the Olympic hype.