Derek Boogaard Rumors & News

The lawsuit doesn't read nearly as well as the story, which laid bare the life of an NHL enforcer for all to see. The way John Branch wrote about Derek Boogaard in the New York Times should have been enough to cause even the most hardcore hockey fan to reconsider the peculiar role that goons play in the sport.

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2010 file photo, New York Rangers Derek Boogaard skates during an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in New York. The family of Boogaard, who died of an accidental overdose of pain medication and alcohol, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit late Friday, May 10, 2013 in Chicago, against the NHL, blaming it for brain damage he suffered as an enforcer and for his addiction to prescription painkillers. Boogaard, who was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment at age 28, was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain ailment that can...

CHICAGO -- The family of former Wild player Derek Boogaard, who died of an accidental overdose of pain medication and alcohol, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the NHL, blaming it for brain damage he suffered as an enforcer and for his addiction to prescription painkillers.

A photo of Derek Boogaard and his jersey sit on a table during a memorial at Xcel Arena Sunday, May 15, 2011 in St. Paul, Minn., for the New York Rangers and former Minnesota Wild NHL hockey player, who died Friday in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

A photo of Derek Boogaard and his jersey sit on a table during a memorial at Xcel Arena Sunday, May 15, 2011 in St. Paul, Minn., for the New York Rangers and former Minnesota Wild NHL hockey player, who died Friday in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Derek Boogaard's family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the National Hockey League, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Say the name Derek Boogaard to a Minnesota Wild fan, and you are certain to evoke a response. "The Boogey Man" was one of the most beloved players ever to put on a Wild sweater, even after he signed with the New York Rangers. His role on the team limited his minutes, and earned him the moniker of "goon." Boogaard wore it with pride, and made a career out of being one of the most fear enforcers to ever play the game. The sinister side of Boogaard's rise to the spotlight was that his job was slowly killing him. The pugilism would take its toll on his hands, his body, his brain, and if we...