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Hockey players are fierce competitors. Warriors. But off the ice, we share a special bond that only those who played in the NHL can understand. This bond is even deeper among those who played the role of enforcers — their livelihoods dependent on fighting and protecting their teammates.

Last week, another one of our brothers passed away many years too early. Todd Ewen, a retired NHL enforcer like me, committed suicide, a victim of severe depression that haunted him for years. In the last five years, at least five other NHL alumni have died under similar circumstances.

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Illnesses like depression have become a plague among retired NHL players who endured years of violent head trauma. These repeated blows have left hidden scars on many of us — and a growing number find that they are unable to cope with the damage. The most tragic part is that many of these lives could have been saved if the NHL had warned us that that the concussions sustained on the ice could lead to long-term damage — a fact they continue to deny to this day.