Another CTE case hits hockey

It came out tonight that the late, former Buffalo Sabre star Rick Martin, part of the "French Connection" line of the 1970's, had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

What makes the Martin development so significant is that he wasn't a "fighter".  He just played hockey.  As the article says:

“Rick Martin’s case shows us that even hockey players who don’t engage in fighting are at risk for CTE, likely because of the repetitive brain trauma players receive throughout their career,” said CSTE co-director Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and professional wrestler who co-founded the Sports Legacy Institute to advance the study, treatment and prevention of brain trauma in athletes. “We hope the decision makers at all levels of hockey consider this finding as they continue to make adjustments to hockey to make the game safer for participants.”

Continued news like this is eventually going to rock the foundation of hockey, from the National Hockey League on down into pee-wees.  Hopefully the powers that be learn the right lessons and keep the sport great while making it safer for those who participate.