Fighting in Hockey, Oxy & Derek Boogaard
Derek Boogaard died in May 2011 of a combined alcohol and OxyContin overdose, aged 28. He was an enforcer, a champion of fighting in hockey.
Fighting in hockey does not mean indiscriminate violence and condoned assault of players.
Fighting in hockey is part of a long time tradition in NHL, that is now governed by strict rules and protocols, bringing entertainment to spectators, added interest to the game.
Although spontaneous fights do break out in hockey games between rival players, as happens in any high power contact sport, fighting in hockey is more of a ritual stand off and in fact has many written and unwritten rules of etiquette and what is to be regarded as “fair play”. Victory won by unfair tactics brings no joy, and approbabation from fans.
Fighting in hockey might be compared to the fighting that goes on in the world wide wrestling alliance.
The reality is that the hockey fighters play to the crowd – and probably run less risk of real injury when engaged in hockey fighting than when clashing in the game, and real violence is involved.
Fighters are escorted off the field and given penalties – which will depend on the extent to which an enforcer has seriously breached the rules.
Fighting in hockey has its opponents, who see it as unnecessary to the game, putting players at risk of avoidable injury.
An autopsy on the player Boogaard did show, as have done autopsies on other long term hockey players that there was some traumatic encephaly of the brain, known as CTE.
A toxicology report showed that he had Percocet, OxyContin and oxycodone in his system. Before his death Boorgaard had been in treatment for his addiction.
This has caused a call from some to ban the national sport of hockey completely. In fairness, although the game is rough, this is what some people like to do as a profession or recreation, whilst others like to watch the games, and play the part of spectators, cheering for their team. It seems to release some of the pressures of everyday life in a generally positive way, to play or cheer for your team.
Management in hockey today takes extreme measures to see that the game is made as safe for players as it can be.
Hockey officials have declined to rule out further hockey games or fights on the basis alone, that some of their players get brain injuries as they age in life, and that many do drugs.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and governors of league hockey say that to discover what in a person’s life might have contributed to any particular injury that they have is the role of experts who have to date conducted very little research in that field.
The symptoms found are said to be similar to early Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia. it is well known that people who play in rough contact sports often use prescription painkillers, some become addicted to drugs such as OxyContin or hydromorphone.
One of the less disputed side effects of OxyContin and all opioids – is gradual loss of memory function. In terms of what might be specific causes of trauma to hockey team players, it is as well to bear in mind that people in their early thirties, in the general population, are now suffering from early onset Alzheimers.
Whether we choose to play hockey or not, it would seem that life is stressful.
When opioids are used by sportsmen for acute and chronic pain relief, there are risks attached. One of the primary risks for using pain killers is to mix them with alcohol, or downers such as tranquilizers, or sleeping pills.
Although OxyContin is safe from “dose dumping” when mixed with alcohol, people still need to be aware of the risk of death if using in combination.
Interestingly, in 2005, Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin tried to market a product called Palladone – a hydromorphone slow release formula in the USA, and within weeks the FDA withdrew approval because people were dying as a result of mixing it with alcohol.
Still sold as Palladone in Canada, or Dilauded worldwide, many people do not fully understand the risks involved in using opioids and alcohol together – that opioid effects are intensified – and can often lead to death.
Alcohol and opioids of any type don’t mix. Research articles have been written that should discourage governments from approving, and people from using drug products subject to dose dumping.
Although a new hydrocodone drug Exalgo is now marketed with a reverse osmosis safety factor, against hydrocodone dose dumping, the fact remains that all opioid drugs are highly addictive, should not be mixed with alcohol, or used as long term painkillers by sportsmen.
In real terms, people today should have more fear of prescription OxyContin or iv hydrocodone abuse as a potential cause of physical damage and death than any amount of rough contact sport, or staged fighting in hockey.
