On the surface, Derek Boogaard's life is a tragic story of a young man from a small town who found fame in the NHL but then died from an addiction. In the hands of journalist John Branch, Boogaard's rise and fall reveals much more: a young man with a traumatic brain injury and a sports industry with no interest in the welfare of its players.
The gentle young Boogaard lacked grace and speed, and he was even more awkward on ice skates. But his towering body fit the profile of a fighter, and scouts saw in him an animal to be shaped into a goon. From his stint in the minor leagues to playing for the New York Rangers, Boogaard learned he was disposable unless he fulfilled his role as an enforcer; violent acts were considered guardianship of your teammates. The worst penalty for the brutal attacks he gave (and received) was a temporary suspension.
The NHL had not yet officially associated this kind of violent play with a degenerative brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a condition caused by successive concussions. However, Boogaard's personality began to change over time. He became moody and violent off the ice. Eventually, at age 28, alcohol abuse and the drugs prescribed to him by hockey league doctors (despite Boogaard's previous issues with addiction) led to his death in 2011.
Branch's emotionally charged, empathetic portrait allows readers to see past Boogaard's thug persona cultivated by the NHL to reveal a boy who just wanted to play hockey and be liked by his friends. --Justus Joseph, bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company