The family of former NHL enforcer Todd Ewen has agreed to donate his brain to the Canadian Sports Concussion Research Project, The Hockey News reports.
Ewen’s brain will be studied for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The concussion study is led by Dr. Charles Tator in Toronto. Tator hopes to examine the brains of 50 former athletes in an effort to determine the impact concussions may have had on their lives.
“We feel that in order to tackle this problem from a research point of view, we would like to examine 50 brains plus the clinical reports that go along with them,” Tator told The Hockey News. “In each of the cases we try to examine, what was the clinical condition, what were the signs and symptoms of brain degeneration beforehand? That way, we can try to get a complete picture of why did these players come down with this condition while other players don’t?”
Ewen’s funeral was held in St. Louis, MO on Sunday. Ewen, who was nicknamed “The Animal,” was found dead in his St. Louis apartment last weekend of an apparent suicide. He was 49.
Ewen totalled 36 goals, 76 points, and 1,911 penalty minutes in 518 career games in 11 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks. He was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in 1992-93.
