Derek Boogaard found dead

[Uncle Danny 155]

I really hope they weren't booing him.

Ditto. I'm going to cling to my faith in humanity and, like the poster above me, chalk this one up to them chanting part of his name.

[Din758 371]

I would be surprised to see if his autopsy results (details) would be made public. I think the only way they will is if it had a connection to the concussions, which seems unlikely.

My guess for now is suicide with some sort of drugs/alcohol involved, which is really unfortunate. This seems to be a common theme with people suffering from extreme depression.

EDIT: I hope it doesnt seem inappropriate to speculate what happened, im just speaking from personal experiences when I say that. And by details I mean if it was suicide how it happened. Really, really sad to think about....

Edited May 19, 2011 by Din758

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I would be surprised to see if his autopsy results (details) would be made public. I think the only way they will is if it had a connection to the concussions, which seems unlikely.

My guess for now is suicide with some sort of drugs/alcohol involved, which is really unfortunate. This seems to be a common theme with people suffering from extreme depression.

There's a correlation between concussions and depressions in athletes. So if they do find evidence of concussions, it definitely could have been a factor if he also was suffering from major depression.

[Guest Shoreline]

Death records are public in the U.S. (as are SSN's on death records), so I'm not too sure about autopsies being private too. Even if it were, it would be to a very small degree, because someone with special interest, say, family/children/spouse/ex spouses could easily get copies of it and hand it to the media.

I'm positive the cause of death will be published soon enough, so just a matter of patience.

Edited May 19, 2011 by Shoreline

[96warrior 11]

From Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, via Twitter:

Derek Boogaard’s manner of death is accidental mixture of alcohol and oxycodone toxicity - per Hennepin Cty ME

[HankthaTank 1,100]

Tragic and much much too soon.

RIP Derek Boogaard

[Din758 371]

ESPN linky

A medical examiner in Minnesota ruled the death of Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard was an accident, due to mixing alcohol and oxycodone.

Sucks big time.

[hooon 1,089]

Huge shame. A friend of mine's brother died the very same way, mixing that drug with alcohol.

Mixing any kind of prescription drugs with alcohol can be very dangerous, even when only very small amounts of either are consumed.

[Guest Shoreline]

Boogaardwas a good man, and looking at all the people that came out in respect for him, it goes to show that big bad enforcers on the ice aren't necessarily bad men. He has my respect for the praise he got both on the ice and in the communities he was involved in.

That being said, there's a lesson to learn. Just about everyone who is as old as he has taken opiates by now for pain by some degree. My wife (a nurse) read this as I did, she mentioned a few things. When the appropriate dosage of opiates has been prescribed for pain relief, adding more wouldn't do anything for pain. Since he's a big man, he would have had to drink quite heavily to reach the point of a couple oxy's killing him, and without a doubt if he had taken that many oxy's the coroner/examiner would have ruled it a suicide. While some people mix alcohol with certain prescriptions, opiates are nothing to f*** with, and if you mix alcohol (especially heavy drinking) with opiates, especially oxy or hydro, you are asking for death via respiratory depression. For one reason or another, the Boogeyman decided to take it too far, and it cost him. R.I.P. :/

Edited May 20, 2011 by Shoreline

[55fan 5,133]

Good heavens. I've been on hydro (back problems) and my bf is on oxy (injuries from a bad accident). Given how much he used to drink, I'm amazed that he's still alive. Maybe it's a good thing that he got sick whenever he drank.

Horribly sad. RIP, Derek.

Edited May 20, 2011 by 55fan

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

ESPN linky

Sucks big time.

Sad to hear.

According to the NY Post he apparently was apparently receiving counseling in the NHL substance abuse program in the weeks prior to his death.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/tragic_ranger_boogaard_was_in_drug_Od9dn6fgV06QZ5ZBOP2EdK

[Chairman Maouth 97]

Boogaardwas a good man, and looking at all the people that came out in respect for him, it goes to show that big bad enforcers on the ice aren't necessarily bad men. He has my respect for the praise he got both on the ice and in the communities he was involved in.

That being said, there's a lesson to learn. Just about everyone who is as old as he has taken opiates by now for pain by some degree. My wife (a nurse) read this as I did, she mentioned a few things. When the appropriate dosage of opiates has been prescribed for pain relief, adding more wouldn't do anything for pain. Since he's a big man, he would have had to drink quite heavily to reach the point of a couple oxy's killing him, and without a doubt if he had taken that many oxy's the coroner/examiner would have ruled it a suicide. While some people mix alcohol with certain prescriptions, opiates are nothing to f*** with, and if you mix alcohol (especially heavy drinking) with opiates, especially oxy or hydro, you are asking for death via respiratory depression. For one reason or another, the Boogeyman decided to take it too far, and it cost him. R.I.P. :/

That's some good and knowledgeable advice Shoreline.

I was in a serious car accident that's left me in pain to this day. Opiates can be a true double-edged sword in that yes they help and do good, but there's an obvious danger there, particularly when your injuries are severe enough that they affect your quality of life to the point where you can start to use them to ease not only the physical pain, but also the emotional pain. Alcohol can accentuate the effect of the drugs but that is as you said, a very dangerous mix. The brief high that drugs can give you is mitigated by how totally crappy you feel when you don't take them and that's the dangerous part; you start to take them just to feel normal. And it's not about weakness of character. It's about circumstances. Boogie probably took too much of both in an effort to ease not the physical pain but the emotional pain. It's a very easy trap to fall into given the right set of circumstances.

[Din758 371]

Legalize medical marijuana. You cant OD on it even mixed with alcohol.

This isnt always the solution, but in terms of long term pain and even some mental problems it can get the job done safely.

Edited May 20, 2011 by Din758

[WingZNut13 99]

How strict is the NHL's substance abuse policy? I have never heard anything about it so I'm guessing that there isn't much to it but then again I am probably wrong.

Anyone know if he was busted for substance abuse from the NHL?

[Guest Shoreline]

It may not be the most politically correct time to delve into the issue of drug abuse, if they ever address it at all, so I don't think that'll be covered much by the league.. the media might touch upon it, but right now looks doubtful.

And the NHL can only be someone's nanny so much. Certainly oxy nor alcohol would help Boogaard on the ice at all. It would help quite a bit in managing injuries especially if suffered through fighting, or in his case he had been out for months due to post-concussion symptoms.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

It may not be the most politically correct time to delve into the issue of drug abuse, if they ever address it at all, so I don't think that'll be covered much by the league.. the media might touch upon it, but right now looks doubtful.

And the NHL can only be someone's nanny so much. Certainly oxy nor alcohol would help Boogaard on the ice at all. It would help quite a bit in managing injuries especially if suffered through fighting, or in his case he had been out for months due to post-concussion symptoms.

I don't see the league touching this at all. They likely just want it to go away, because it's not a huge leap from concussion to depression to substance abuse to death. It's just a grim reminder of how hard making a living getting punched in the head can be.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Incredibly sad What a senseless waste of a young life. RIP to Boogey and all the best to his family, friends and fans.

[wingslogo19 281]

Being an enfocer is really not as easy as it looks. I have so much respect for those guys. Another young life taken from us too soon. RIP Boogaard you will be missed

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

It's very unfortunate that he died this way, but I've always had a problem with the ruling of an 'accidental' overdose. I would think it would be common sense not to mix meds and alcohol together, especially something like Oxycodone which is said to be addictive. The coroners can say it was accident but no one really knows what Derek was thinking or what his intentions were or weren't when mixing the the pills with alcohol. It's possible that he really didn't know the effects of it but I find it hard to believe. Still though, it's very heartbreaking. R.I.P Derek.

Edited May 20, 2011 by HockeyCrazy3033

[Yzermania 156]

It's very unfortunate that he died this way, but I've always had a problem with the ruling of an 'accidental' overdose. I would think it would be common sense not to mix meds and alcohol together, especially something like Oxycodone which is said to be addictive. The coroners can say it was accident but no one really knows what Derek was thinking or what his intentions were or weren't when mixing the the pills with alcohol. It's possible that he really didn't know the effects of it but I find it hard to believe. Still though, it's very heartbreaking. R.I.P Derek.

This is my exact thoughts. I think that unless it is overbearingly obvious (ex. intaking almost the whole bottle of pills), they have to rule it an accident probably. I doubt the guy lacked so much common sense that he thought it was an okay mixture. To me, it seems like suicide.

[Chairman Maouth 97]

This is my exact thoughts. I think that unless it is overbearingly obvious (ex. intaking almost the whole bottle of pills), they have to rule it an accident probably. I doubt the guy lacked so much common sense that he thought it was an okay mixture. To me, it seems like suicide.

You could be right but I disagree with your theory.

People take drugs and alcohol all the time to kill pain - often emotional pain. With an addict, there can be a fine line between taking enough to relieve the pain and overdosing. They walk the edge all the time. They do not want to die, but they engage in high risk behaviour because they currently have no other way to feel better.

Edited May 21, 2011 by Chairman Maouth

[seeinred 1,488]

It's very unfortunate that he died this way, but I've always had a problem with the ruling of an 'accidental' overdose. I would think it would be common sense not to mix meds and alcohol together, especially something like Oxycodone which is said to be addictive. The coroners can say it was accident but no one really knows what Derek was thinking or what his intentions were or weren't when mixing the the pills with alcohol. It's possible that he really didn't know the effects of it but I find it hard to believe. Still though, it's very heartbreaking. R.I.P Derek.

Hang out with some opiate-dependent people. It's nothing for most of them to take a bunch of oxy or vicodin or whatever and get really drunk on top of it. Like others have said, unless the dose in his system was WAAAAY high, it was probably an accident.

[55fan 5,133]

After a while on drugs (legal or not; needed or recreational) you get to the point that you feel normal on them. You don't think of it as risky behaviour. You just think of it has a normal person in a normal state having a drink or two or three...

What is normal for one person may well not be for another, and we all think we are normal.

[Cali-Wing-Nut 102]

Legalize medical marijuana. You cant OD on it even mixed with alcohol.

This isnt always the solution, but in terms of long term pain and even some mental problems it can get the job done safely.

Maybe in Bo's situation some doja would take care of things but from a person that has had to deal with RX opiates (diluadid drip, 400mg/day oxy now methadone for chronic pain) from a horrible near death accident I sustained, burning one isnt gonna take care of it. I tried and it doesnt help serious pain. Serious pain as in pain that will bring you to tears if not treated, broken rib pain not broken finger pain.

I know how easy it is to have a bottle of oxy and know that the script wont be refilled for a month but youre in horrible pain so you drink a beer to increase the pain killing properties. There is a point where you will simply vomit up everything if you get to much oxy with too much alcoho as long as the oxy has already kicked in. The bad thing is that most chronic pain scripts are for Oxy SR which is slow release. Unlike roxycontin which hits you in minutes (and is used for break through pain) oxycodone sr takes about 20-30 mins to take affect.

With that said I could easily see how easy it would be to wash down an extra 40(mg) or 2 of oxy over your prescribed amount with a shot or three or 5 of your favorite booze and in 45 mins you will be passed out and not breathing. I had an issue with that minus alcohol early on when I came home from the hospital and kept taking pills cause it wasnt kicking in and then all of a sudden my GF was slapping me to wake up cause I was turning blue and was rushed to the ER.

WARNING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

I have tried to speak out against oxycontin as a take home drug because of the enormous risk for abuse, serious dependency within a week as well as the risk of death if you dont have a proper tolerance for the drug. It is heroin, you just dont shoot it. From what Ive been told it gives you the same rush, the same high and the same risks to your health. Its sad that its so often prescribed uneccesarily and that other treatments havent been developed. Same goes for Xanax and other drugs that are highly addictive and have a high probabilty of fatality when mixed with even moderate amounts of alcohol which just so happen increase the drugs effects.

I pray for Bos family, they are grieving the death of a great guy that died unnecessarily.

To any of you out there that here this, please dont take Oxy recreationally and please dont mix it with alcohol, mix it with other meds like Xanax and if you need to take more call your dr at once to explain the issue cause you will be labeled a drug seeker if you empty your scripts early. If you are in more pain than what is prescribed a dr should see you to figure out why what they thought would help didnt. I had 6 extra surgeries because of missed or secondary issues that caused pain and me to need an extrordinary amount of that s***. Also, Methadone is a great pain reliever for chronic pain without getting you all loopy and drugged up. If you are taking it to feel drugged up STOP NOW. You arent taking it for the right reason and you are risking addiction if you arent already.

Please heed this advise it could really save your life.

Bo you and your family are in my prayers.

[Kira 451]

Cali, I could not have said it better myself.

I have a husband who is a chronic pain sufferer. His comes from degenerative arthritis and migraine headaches primarily. He cannot take vicodin (makes him itchy beyond belief), so his doctor put him on Percoset. It comes with bright yellow labels on it warning NOT to even think about drinking while taking it. He doesn't have to take it every day (thank God), but he knows enough not to even think about mixing the two.

My doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin for pain in my knees and back. But I don't take that every day, and I very rarely drink anything.

But we might be exceptions to a dangerous rule. People, you can't mix this stuff - IT WILL KILL YOU. Honest to God, it will.

What a waste for Derek...I had hoped it would be something more than a foolish mixing of drugs and alcohol.