Dan Carcillo was on a spring break holiday with his family in the Bahamas last week when he learned of Chris Simon’s death.
Carcillo — who has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the NHL and NHLPA for their handling of concussions and head trauma in the sport — felt compelled to release a four-minute video on social media to acknowledge Simon’s passing.
Advertisement
“The ancient Egyptians used to say that if you say a man’s name, he is alive,” Carcillo said to open the video. He then proceeded to say the names of a handful of former NHL players who have died prematurely. Included on that list were Simon, Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak, John Kordic and Steve Montador.
In the caption of his video, Carcillo wrote: “This is a stark reminder that a contributing factor to this tragedy was playing in a league that continues to deny a link between repetitive head trauma and neurodegenerative disease. If you are a current player, protect yourself because the NHL and their medical professionals will not do it for you.”
Carcillo posted his personal email address to the message, urging former players to connect with him if they wanted assistance.
When Simon died at the age of 52 last week, his family released a statement that read in part: “The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death.”
At the general managers meetings last week in Florida, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about the family’s statement connecting Simon’s death to CTE, which is an abbreviation for chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a progressive degenerative disease affecting some athletes who have suffered multiple concussions or traumatic brain injuries.
“Chris’ passing is tragic. It’s sad. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. On all these matters, we wait to see what the medical experts tell us,” Bettman said. “Having said that, it’s well documented all the progress we’ve made over the past couple of decades to make the game as safe as possible.”
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli also asked NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly last week if the league’s viewpoint on proving a definitive link between CTE and repeated blows to the head has changed.
Advertisement
“No,” Daly said. “I think the science is still lacking.”
In an extended conversation with The Athletic, Carcillo said he was disappointed — but not surprised — that NHL officials opted for this stance on Simon’s death.
“It’s the same playbook Big Tobacco used between not finding a definitive link between lung cancer and smoking. They used it until they couldn’t anymore,” Carcillo said. “And I think that time is coming. Bill and Gary are lawyers, so you’re going to get legalese language. They’re comfortable with that position right now.”
Carcillo’s comments were echoed almost word for word by Dr. Chris Nowinski, a retired professional wrestler who has dedicated his life to concussion research and awareness. Nowinski, now a prominent neuroscientist who co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, also paid close attention to the NHL’s response to Simon’s death last week.
“The NHL is going the Big Tobacco route,” Nowinski told The Athletic. “I don’t think they’re going to change their mind. They’re going to keep saying it as long as they can get away with it.”
The NHL did not respond to a request for comment this week.
A 2023 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that retired enforcers — the players who fought the most on the ice — tend to die 10 years earlier than their teammates. The study used data on players spanning from 1967 to 2022 and classified “enforcers” as players with 50 or more career fights or players who averaged more than three penalty minutes per game. The enforcers died earlier and more often of drug overdose and suicide when compared with age-matched NHL player controls.
During a 15-year NHL career, Simon got into more than 100 fights and racked up 1,824 penalty minutes, establishing himself as one of the most intimidating players of his generation. Shortly after retiring, Simon was part of a class-action suit involving more than 300 former NHL players who claimed the league failed to warn or protect its players from the risk of head injuries.
Advertisement
That case was dismissed by a judge in July 2018 after a five-year battle, but in November of that year, the NHL offered those players an $18.9 million settlement, which would cover the costs of the plaintiff’s attorneys and provide roughly $22,000 to each player in the suit. The settlement also offered the players neuropsychological testing and up to $75,000 in medical treatment if deemed necessary. As part of the terms of that settlement, the NHL accepted no liability in the agreement. The players waived the right to sue the NHL — as well as any “released person,” which includes teams and the NHLPA — or any claim of head trauma.
While Simon accepted a settlement in that case, Carcillo refused.
Carcillo told The Athletic in 2019, “I just know that I’m not taking it, and that’s that. I recommend not to take it. But if you read through the details and you understand, and you need the money, then just do whatever you feel you need to do. There are guys in different positions. Could I use $22,000 right now for treatment? Of course, I could. Will I take it? Absolutely not.”
Carcillo and Nowinski are in lockstep with their opinion on the NHL’s handling of this topic, but they also agree that CTE is often misunderstood by the public. Nowinski said it’s important for people to understand that “suicides are multi-factorial” and are usually the result of various issues for an individual.
“Not everybody who has CTE is suicidal. But we do know that with multiple traumatic brain injuries, you’re at an increased risk for suicide,” Nowinski said. “CTE is not a death sentence. You can get through it, but it does take work.”
Carcillo is a prime example of what Nowinski is speaking about. In 2015, at the age of 30, Carcillo walked away from the sport after suffering his seventh concussion in a career that spanned nine NHL seasons.
“I was told by medical professionals that I had mild dementia that was incurable. I had CTE-like symptoms,” said Carcillo.
Advertisement
After spending roughly $250,000 on various pharmaceuticals and vestibular therapy, Carcillo did not see any improvements in his symptoms. He was suffering from anxiety, depression, migraines and suicidal ideations.
As a last-ditch effort, Carcillo turned to psychedelic therapy as an alternative to the painkillers and anxiety medications that weren’t effectively treating his ailments. And after using psilocybin — the active compound found in what is commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms” — he found almost instantaneous relief from his debilitating symptoms.
“After two doses, I got clean brain scans and blood work. I’m five years into this now. I’m using mushrooms now in low doses to flush out neuroinflammation,” Carcillo said. “I know that I had CTE. But I know that I’m not going to die from it because of the proactive approach that I’ve taken.”
Carcillo wants former players who are suffering from post-concussion symptoms to reach out to him directly because he believes there are gaps in the way the current system is deployed.
“These tools are here,” Carcillo said. “They are here for the NHL Alumni Association and the NHLPA. Chris Simon had CTE-like symptoms. Nobody helped him. These are the things that happen when there is no support.”
The NHL Alumni Association declined to be quoted for this story, but the organization told The Athletic they work diligently behind the scenes to provide assistance to hundreds of former players who might be dealing with mental health, financial or other issues in retirement. A former player like Simon, for example, could have had access to mental health and substance use resources — but the onus is on the retired player, his family or friends to reach out to the NHL Alumni Association to initiate the process. The NHL Alumni Association said discretion and confidentiality are paramount to their programs being effective, which is why they don’t wish to publicize their work or discuss whether Simon was engaged in any of their programs before his death.
As for active players, the league and NHLPA have agreed upon a joint concussion protocol, a comprehensive document that covers education, testing, evaluation and concussion management. The education materials include a mandatory video for players and staff to watch, as well as an educational brochure that is to be distributed to players and their families in the event of a concussion.
Advertisement
As it pertains directly to CTE, the NHLPA released its most recent statement on the subject in May 2019. Part of the statement read: “It goes without saying that trauma to the brain can be harmful and we recognize, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cited, that the research to date suggests that CTE is caused in part by repeated trauma to the brain, including concussions and sub-concussive events. In this regard, we have long been focused on concussions in our sport and securing needed treatment for players. Among other steps taken, we have retained preeminent medical consultants who are experts on concussions, to ensure that we are up to date on the latest research on concussions, CTE and other issues regarding brain injuries.”
The NHLPA has neurologist Dr. Jeff Kutcher deliver a concussion and brain health seminar at the annual player orientation program each year. Active NHL players are encouraged to reach out directly to Dr. Kutcher if they have specific questions about CTE and concussions.
Carcillo — who twice led the league in penalty minutes — does not believe fighting should be abolished from the sport. But he has watched intently as the debate around fighting has been reignited by New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe, who fought four times in his first seven NHL games.
“What guys like Matt Rempe need to know is that I’m all for informed consent. Fighting is a part of the game and it should be a part of the game. But you need to educate the guys on the risks. And then guys need to be comfortable with that and sign off on it,” Carcillo said. “With the league’s stance being there is no definitive link, then why would they make the effort to educate these players on the risks? That would be counterintuitive to the stance they’re taking.”
“There is an opportunity to educate the players with informed consent,” Nowinski said. “Informed consent would drive reforms in hockey that we can’t necessarily anticipate.”
Both Carcillo and Nowinski are hoping Simon’s death can be an opportunity for the uncomfortable topic of concussions, CTE and mental health to be pushed back into the limelight — hopefully with a different outcome than we’ve seen in the past.
“We just lost another hockey player and another enforcer. I’ve been talking about this for nine years and the narrative hasn’t changed,” Carcillo said. “These opportunities can be used to talk about the risks with repeated head trauma and fighting.”
“It breaks my heart when I see more players dying in terrible circumstances,” Nowinski said. “It makes me angry that we can’t have an honest conversation about what’s happening.”
(Top photo of Chris Simon with the Calgary Flames in 2005: Robert Laberge / Getty Images)
