Has any active NHL players committed suicide or attempted to?

[Nick Hansen]

Are there any examples of this?

Note: I am not suicidal, just to make that clear.

Click to read more...

 

[brachyrynchos]

Roman Lyashenko, but he spent more time with Hartford AHL than the Rangers.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Rick Rypien, Wade Belak and Tom Cavanagh within the last decade, unfortunately...

 

[CartographerNo611]

Rick Rypien, Wade Belak and Tom Cavanagh within the last decade, unfortunately...

Belak is debatable, took an extreme sexual fetish too far, suicidal intent is up in the air.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

stephane richer attempted suicide four days after winning the 1995 stanley cup.

reportedly bryan trottier was close.

 

[ESH]

I’m pretty sure Wade Belak did

 

[Zegras Zebra]

Clint Malarchuk attempted to commit suicide. He suffers from PTSD from the incident where his throat was slashed by a skate blade in a game in 1989. He also suffers from OCD (which he takes medication for) and alcoholism which probably doesn't help his situation that much.

I'm sure there are at least a few players who have attempted it whose incident never made it to the media.

 

[ES]

I think Sheldon Kennedy at least considered suicide before revealing the sexual abuse by Graham James.

 

[tony d]

To many unfortunately. Many names were mentioned here already. I can't add any names, myself, but it's sad to see anyone come to that.

 

[Weztex]

Belak is debatable, took an extreme sexual fetish too far, suicidal intent is up in the air.

Isn't that an old rumor that has been debunked many times. His wife said he had been on a new medication for 3 weeks and was unknowingly taking too much.

 

[reckoning]

Dusan Pasek, one of the top Czechoslovakian players of the 80s who had a brief stint with Minnesota late in his career, killed himself at age 37. It happened about a month after Slovakia's disappointing showing at the 98 Olympics. He had played a huge role in putting together the team, and received a lot of criticism for how things turned out, though nobody knows if that was a factor in the tragedy.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Belak is debatable, took an extreme sexual fetish too far, suicidal intent is up in the air.

I'm pretty sure his wife debunked the Autoerotic Asphyxiation rumor. But the indisclosure around his death is still puzzling.

Not like I or anyone else is entitled to the details or anything though.

 

[connellc]

Theo Fleury had a loaded gun in his mouth...

Theo Fleury and Victor Walk make their stop in Swift Current

 

[alko]

Dusan Pasek, one of the top Czechoslovakian players of the 80s who had a brief stint with Minnesota late in his career, killed himself at age 37. It happened about a month after Slovakia's disappointing showing at the 98 Olympics. He had played a huge role in putting together the team, and received a lot of criticism for how things turned out, though nobody knows if that was a factor in the tragedy.

Highly doubt, he did it because of that.

There were other, mainly financial rumors (Casino..) that were connected to this. He left a brief, but only his family know, what was there.

But there are other rumors. That it was arranged as an suicide. Very uncommon activities right after he was found in his office was seen. If you ask people in Slovakia, what they think, it is 50:50 between suicide and murder.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Are there any examples of this?

Note: I am not suicidal, just to make that clear.

We know the answer is yes as we lost a few players in short order a few years ago.

 

[Big Phil]

I am trying to think about others that haven't been mentioned yet............

I can't confirm, but just taking a guess from their living situations Doug Harvey might have been in a dark place after his playing days.

People forget this, but a goalie part of perhaps the most entertaining hockey series in the 1987 Canada Cup killed himself. Evgeny Beloskeikin committed suicide in 1999. He was in net for Game 2 of the Canada/Russia final. Honestly, the guy was an overtime goal away from being the winning goalie that day. Then Mylnikov came in for Game 3. I am not sure what he was dealing with but I know he drank a lot.

In other sports baseball pitcher Donnie Moore killed himself in 1989. He is best known for being the Angels pitcher that gave up that famous Home Run to Dave Henderson one strike away from going to the World Series in 1986. That was game 5 of the ALCS and then the Angels lost the next two after. He had other issues that went beyond that so I can't say it was because of that play.

Check out Darryl Strawberry's story. Quite inspiring.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Clint Malarchuk attempted to commit suicide. He suffers from PTSD from the incident where his throat was slashed by a skate blade in a game in 1989. He also suffers from OCD (which he takes medication for) and alcoholism which probably doesn't help his situation that much.

I'm sure there are at least a few players who have attempted it whose incident never made it to the media.

Clint actually shot himself in the head once; which while obviously damaging, was not fatal. As a former Buffalo Sabres player, (and human being) I find myself worrying about him.

Just hope he finds enough peace in his world to enjoy it as long as he can...

 

[Howie Hodge]

There was talk that former Sabres defenseman Tim Horton's crash was a possible suicide. I don't believe it; but we'll never know for sure.

Former Sabres winger Larry Mickey killed himself in 1982, at the age of 38. Depression, especially after the end of his hockey career (player, later coach) took it's toll. My friend's son played hockey in Buffalo with Larry's son, I know the story too well......

Sadness is usually temporary; depression not so much, it tends to perpetuate.

It doesn't make you weak, it makes you effected. If you experience it, get help. Ironic how we empathize with people who have physical afflictions, but don't so much when it comes to their mental health...

 

[Sanf]

Carl Bloomberg, Goalie of U20 team USA in 1977 and 1978 and drafted by Blues in 1978, killed himself in 1980.

Sun Sentinel
September 20, 1986
The price of glory is high, indeed, sometimes too high. Carl Bloomberg was the best high school goalkeeper in Minnesota. He lived hockey and he died when he could no longer keep his fears out of the back of the net. He killed himself after he failed to make the St. Louis Blues. ``A golden boy. Dead at 22.``

That is probably over simplified. His parents has talked about this atleast in the book Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win

edit.
(Though did not play in NHL)

 

[Rick Kehoe]

Unfortunately, there's not a profession on this earth exempt from depression and suicide. Despite all the advantages and rewards of being a pro athlete, sometimes that's not enough to get help in time, often for events which happened long before the career even began.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Carl Bloomberg, Goalie of U20 team USA in 1977 and 1978 and drafted by Blues in 1978, killed himself in 1980.

Sun Sentinel
September 20, 1986
The price of glory is high, indeed, sometimes too high. Carl Bloomberg was the best high school goalkeeper in Minnesota. He lived hockey and he died when he could no longer keep his fears out of the back of the net. He killed himself after he failed to make the St. Louis Blues. ``A golden boy. Dead at 22.``

That is probably over simplified. His parents has talked about this atleast in the book Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win

edit.
(Though did not play in NHL)

Blades of Glory

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Category:Ice hockey players who committed suicide - Wikipedia

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Highly doubt, he did it because of that.

There were other, mainly financial rumors (Casino..) that were connected to this. He left a brief, but only his family know, what was there.

But there are other rumors. That it was arranged as an suicide. Very uncommon activities right after he was found in his office was seen. If you ask people in Slovakia, what they think, it is 50:50 between suicide and murder.

1982 NHL Entry Draft -- Dusan Pasek

 

[Langdon Alger]

stephane richer attempted suicide four days after winning the 1995 stanley cup.

reportedly bryan trottier was close.

Wow, never knew about those. Wonder what happened with Richer.

 

[Jets4Life]

The most tragic case I ever read about was the case of Ed Kea, former defensemen for the Atlanta Flames, and St.Louis Blues, who sustained a severe head injury after being sent down to the IHL Salt Lake Golden Eagles, at the end of the 1982-83 season. The injury no only ended his career, but gave him permanent brain damage, making it impossible for him to focus on a career outside of hockey, with the exception of manual labour.

Alan Eagleson, not only screwed Kea out of his compensation from the NHLPA, but never even visited Kea or returned his family's pleas or messages. It was the main reason a book was eventually written about Eagleson's infamous time as head of the NHLPA, by a Boston sports reporter Russ Conway, and set a chain of events that led to his removal as NHLPA President.

Kea committed suicide by intentionally drowning himself at the family summer cabin in September 1999. At the time, it was ruled "accidental" but family members admitted it was a suicide years later.