Canadian ice hockey star Jonathan Huberdeau plans to donate his brain for research after his death. The organ is to go to “Project Enlist Canada”, which deals with the degenerative brain disease CTE. NHL forward Huberdeau, 33, new to the Calgary Flames, is following the example of more than 170 former soldiers.
“As an NHL player, I am very aware of the impact of traumatic brain injuries, concussions and the connection to mental health issues,” Huberdeau said in a statement. He wants to help “improve the quality of life for all military personnel” through research.
CTE occurs as a result of frequent head trauma and can only be detected postmortem. The disease has already been detected in more than 300 former NFL footballers. CTE can change behavior and personality.
“There are a lot of people who have problems. A lot of military veterans who experience the same things as professional athletes,” Huberdeau’s agent Allan Walsh said. “There are all these studies showing the link between repeated headshots and CTE.”
