Player Discussion Donald Brashear

[ReggieDunlop68]

Former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear is working at a Tim Hortons in Quebec

Click to read more...

 

[CasusBelli]

That’s really sad.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Donald Brashear to appear in court for cocaine possession

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Donald Brashear to appear in court for cocaine possession

 

[Machinehead]

The nature of being a designated fighter leads one down the path of drugs. Constant pain and constant fear.

I appreciate the innate physicality of the game and legitimate beefs that break out, but the sport is better without enforcer culture.

 

[Rongomania]

The nature of being a designated fighter leads one down the path of drugs. Constant pain and constant fear.

I appreciate the innate physicality of the game and legitimate beefs that break out, but the sport is better without enforcer culture.

Tie Domi did great after hockey, and I'm certain there are more.

It's more of a mental illness issue which the NHL clearly never handled well.

 

[Machinehead]

Tie Domi did great after hockey, and I'm certain there are more.

It's more of a mental illness issue which the NHL clearly never handled well.

Yes, some of them do great after hockey.

Still, Bob Probert, Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Steve Montador. All dead. All 45 and younger. All with 50+ fights in the NHL. (Except Rypien but he racked up 28 in about a season and a half worth of NHL games)

There's no reason to have over 50 fights. To get to that number you have to have two guys fighting each other simply because they exist. There's really no reason for it and it adds nothing to the game.

 

[Machinehead]

Also, Tie Domi was in 270 fights. Boxers don't get hit that much.

The fact that he can literally move at this point is a miracle, let alone that he's healthy. And he probably isn't...

He's not an argument in favor of it.

 

[eco's bones]

Hard to say what's going on--apparently he had a company (hockey sticks?--something else?) and it went bankrupt and he owes about $200K. I don't know if he got concussed all that often--the thing with McSorley and he kind of got K.O.ed by Wade Belak (RIP). Some people though are just shitty business people. I know I would be--because for one thing other people's money never really interested me. Some people also just run through money like nobody's business. If they have it they spend it and if he's doing coke that would be one way of spending it real fast. A little off on a tangent but I kind of remember him playing the piano rather well (not joking)--maybe it was another hockey player. It's surprising though sometimes what talent people have.

Anyway I wasn't a big fan of him as a hockey player--by the time he got to the Rangers he was shell and before that frankly (I'm speaking of him as a hockey player here not as a person) he was a f***ing asshole. That said--he had a very hard childhood (and nobody deserves that) and hopefully he straightens his life out.

 

[Lion Hound]

The nature of being a designated fighter leads one down the path of drugs. Constant pain and constant fear.

I appreciate the innate physicality of the game and legitimate beefs that break out, but the sport is better without enforcer culture.

Plenty of enforcers went a different route that didn't involve drugs and or alcohol. At the end of the day, each individual knows what's right and what's wrong. It's up to them to walk the line.

 

[Rongomania]

Also, Tie Domi was in 270 fights. Boxers don't get hit that much.

The fact that he can literally move at this point is a miracle, let alone that he's healthy. And he probably isn't...

He's not an argument in favor of it.

Didn't mean to be misunderstood, I didn't mean I'm 'in favor' of straight old school goonery. I just believe addiction is an illness, which the NHL (and most other leagues) have bungled countless times throughout the years.

 

[Machinehead]

Didn't mean to be misunderstood, I didn't mean I'm 'in favor' of straight old school goonery. I just believe addiction is an illness, which the NHL (and most other leagues) have bungled countless times throughout the years.

Oh, for sure.

Symptomatic of the culture but still preventable.

 

[Machinehead]

Plenty of enforcers went a different route that didn't involve drugs and or alcohol. At the end of the day, each individual knows what's right and what's wrong. It's up to them to walk the line.

If being an addict came down to right or wrong, nobody would be an addict.

 

[JCProdigy]

To add a little levity....

At first, Brashear was asked to be a greeter at the door of the Tim Hortons, but every time a customer tried to fist bump him, he ended up hugging them for 2 minutes straight.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Didn't mean to be misunderstood, I didn't mean I'm 'in favor' of straight old school goonery. I just believe addiction is an illness, which the NHL (and most other leagues) have bungled countless times throughout the years.

This is true.

Also suspect some level of CTE which doesn't help matters at all. Brain injuries are scary as f***.

 

[Joey Bones]

I just think this is something to help Brashear during the court cases, but it could be a long term thing as well. Hope for the best with him and his situations.

 

[egelband]

Also, Tie Domi was in 270 fights. Boxers don't get hit that much.

The fact that he can literally move at this point is a miracle, let alone that he's healthy. And he probably isn't...

He's not an argument in favor of it.

I'm pretty sure Domi isn't a human. Can't compare.

 

[Edge]

The reality is that we’re only now starting to see the impact of the enforcer culture that existed between the late 70s through the 2000s.

We don’t really have a good benchmark prior to that time period, and we won’t know how the 2010s and beyond will look for another 20 years or so.

Now having said that, I think we also have to take into account some of the circumstances surrounding the enforcers who have passed.

Some of them battled some serious drug problems or had significant issues away from the rink. Those seem to be the names that are popping up the most. Additionally, we don’t know the true percentage of enforcers who have or will develop problems as a result of their role in the NHL.

There are likely many non-enforcers who actually took as much, or maybe even more punishment as a result of the amount of time they played and the punishment they received.

But this is all something that deserves serious monitoring and evaluating.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

The reality is that we’re only now starting to see the impact of the enforcer culture that existed between the late 70s through the 2000s.

We don’t really have a good benchmark prior to that time period, and we won’t know how the 2010s and beyond will look for another 20 years or so.

Now having said that, I think we also have to take into account some of the circumstances surrounding the enforcers who have passed.

Some of them battled some serious drug problems or had significant issues away from the rink. Those seem to be the names that are popping up the most. Additionally, we don’t know the true percentage of enforcers who have or will develop problems as a result of their role in the NHL.

There are likely many non-enforcers who actually took as much, or maybe even more punishment as a result of the amount of time they played and the punishment they received.

But this is all something that deserves serious monitoring and evaluating.

I'm sure you've seen The Last Gladiators. A fascinating film. Tough to watch.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Yes, some of them do great after hockey.

Still, Bob Probert, Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Steve Montador. All dead. All 45 and younger. All with 50+ fights in the NHL. (Except Rypien but he racked up 28 in about a season and a half worth of NHL games)

There's no reason to have over 50 fights. To get to that number you have to have two guys fighting each other simply because they exist. There's really no reason for it and it adds nothing to the game.

Darren Langdon had a bunch of fights, PJ Stock is another guy although he had injuries and had to retire but no known issues to his health. it all depends on the person if they want to take a dark path or not. Colton Orr is another guy

 

[Riche16]

Fairly obv that concussions due to fighting or hits, whatever... affect everyone differently in severity and duration. Very sad to see something like this... I hope he can find a way to get to a place that he deserves and can find some happiness

 

[Rongomania]

Fairly obv that concussions due to fighting or hits, whatever... affect everyone differently in severity and duration. Very sad to see something like this... I hope he can find a way to get to a place that he deserves and can find some happiness

Yeah as @Machinehead said, the correlation between goons+all of the mental s*** that goes along with it = drug abuse more often than not.

It's so sad and to this day, (slightly OT here) I was reading the Kuznetsov coke stuff and the NHL rulebook actually ALLOWS its players to test positive for cocaine multiple times before any type of disciplinary action is taken. That, to me, is f***in' bananas.

 

[East Coast Bias]

Plenty of enforcers went a different route that didn't involve drugs and or alcohol. At the end of the day, each individual knows what's right and what's wrong. It's up to them to walk the line.

This is an incredibly naive take on addiction and mental health.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Someone said on the main board his friend just had opened that Tim Hortons up and he said he would help out to create publicity for it. I’m a little more inclined to believe that story to be honest.

 

[East Coast Bias]

There's a Tim Hortons in White Plains and I'm not impressed with their coffee. People love this place. Not so much.