The recent deaths of Derek Boogaard*, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak have generated an obscene amount of writings (I don’t believe something not based in fact should be called an article) speculating that there is some correlation between enforcers and suicide.

In short, this idea is irresponsible and ignorant.

This only perpetuates the stigma and cluelessness surrounding mental illness in our societies—I’m referring to Canada and the US. Depression and suicide affect every age, sex, religion, ethnicity, and occupation. Not equally, but it happens. Suicide happens for numerous reasons, and we as outsiders aren’t doing any good speculating about these men we never really knew.

“I think sometimes we get caught up in generalizations,” said Allain Roy, Rypien’s agent. “We have three sad instances where we have three young men who struggled with their lives off the ice. Whether their role played a piece in it, I think it’s almost impossible for anybody to draw that straight line through it — to say, all right, they were enforcers, and this is why this happened to them.”
—New York Times

There is “widely known” idea that dentists have the highest suicide rate among white-collar professionals. I’ve read conflicting information on this, but for the sake of my argument we’ll assume this is true. Does this mean parents should stop letting their kids go to dental school? Should those who are already dentists quit? It’s absurd.

If you want to blame someone or something, start with the ignorance surrounding mental illness. Then realise that even those who are not mentally ill do turn to ending their own lives as a way out. It’s a scary thought.

What can we, as observers, take from this? Even the toughest men of them all can feel sadness, pain, isolation, panic, and confusion. These men were complex human beings, not just NHL enforcers.

*It should be noted Boogaard’s death from an overdose was ruled accidental.

Recommended further reading: Rick Rypien: a rant, a eulogy, an epilogue, Breaking Down the Myths about Depression, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance