Chris Simon, a former Washington Capitals forward and 1996 Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, died at age 52 last year. Following his death, Simon’s family donated his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank at the Boston University CTE Center, and the post-mortem analysis, revealed Monday, shows that Simon was suffering from stage three chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
“Mr. Simon had severe CTE pathology in areas of the brain involved with cognition and mood regulation, and it is likely CTE contributed to his memory problems, depression, and apathy,” Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System, said.
“Individuals with a significant history of repetitive head impacts in sports who report these symptoms need to be taken seriously, and our team is committed to providing them the care they need while also continuing to advance CTE research.”
The Mayo Clinic defines CTE as “a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries.” The disease causes the death of nerve cells in the brain and worsens with time. Further research on the development and effects of CTE is limited by the fact that the disease still cannot be diagnosed in living people.
There are four stages of the disease, categorized by symptoms. MedStar Health lists “stage three” symptoms as “aggression; apathy; memory loss; lack of spatial awareness; executive dysfunction (inability to successfully complete activities that require time management, organization, and problem-solving).”
Simon was one of the most feared enforcers and physical players on the ice during his 15 years in the NHL. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound forward got into 121 total fights across his professional career in both the NHL and KHL.
In the years before his death, Simon filed for bankruptcy in 2017, saying he was unable to work due to injuries suffered during his playing career. In documents filed by Simon and reported by the Ottawa Citizen, the former enforcer had “symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” and he also suffered from “depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and arthritis to his shoulder, hand, knees, back and neck.”
Simon’s family released a statement on Monday through the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) sharing more about what Simon was going through in the final years of his life. CLF says the family hopes their words will help raise awareness of the “urgent need for medical and mental health resources available to former hockey players.”
The statement from Simon’s parents, Linda and John, and his sister Charlee reads:
Chris was suffering tremendously from CTE. We saw him declining but did not know where to turn to for help. Chris’ short term memory issues were ongoing for many years. We also learned that he had lost most of his hearing, had daily headaches, light sensitivity, paranoia, was easily frustrated with tasks, had extreme anxiety, difficulty navigating in a vehicle, apathy- lack of feeling and emotion, impulsivity, distancing himself from those who meant the most to him, had executive dysfunction – meaning he couldn’t plan or problem solve and he had suicidal thoughts at times. Chris really distanced himself from his family and friends the last three years of his life. This has been extremely difficult on us, as the Chris we knew had been gone for quite some time. Looking back we now realize that Chris likely started suffering from CTE in his late 20s to early 30s. Our entire family suffered for many years as we saw our son, brother, father, husband slip away from us and we couldn’t do anything to help him. Before we lost Chris to CTE, he was a very gentle, loving man whose family meant the world to him. We know that Chris would want more than anything that former players and families now know where to turn to for help if they suspect their loved one is suffering from TBI, PCS and CTE so they can get the support they desperately need.
Our family is extremely thankful to Dr. Ann McKee, Lisa McHale and all staff at Boston University CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation for all of their work and support. We are relieved that stage 3 CTE was definitively found in his brain as it will help bring some closure and healing to his family and friends. The unfortunate feeling of anger is also present due to the negligence of a professional league turning a blind eye to CTE and other significant brain injuries sustained in the sport of hockey.
A few months after Simon’s death, the NHLPA announced that they had formed the CTE Advisory Committee. The committee’s purpose is to help players better understand CTE and the damage that concussions can do to the brain.
The news comes after Gary Bettman, the NHL’s commissioner, disputed links between playing hockey and developing the degenerative brain disease. In an April 2023 interview, Bettman explicitly told NPR’s A Martinez that he has yet to see convincing evidence linking the two.
