The NHL Has a CTE Problem. Fans and the League Don’t Care.
Widespread celebration of fighting during the 4 Nations Face-Off shows how little thought is put into the sport’s link to brain injury.
Teams USA and Canada face-off during a game on Feb. 15, 2025.
Photographer: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images North AmericaBobby Hull, one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League, was celebrated for his physicality on the ice. But those talents, it turns out, came at a cost. This week Hull’s widow revealed that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, when he passed away two years ago. The disease, caused by repeated brain injuries, is associated with memory loss, impaired judgement, aggression and other symptoms.
The NHL doesn’t seem to mind. During this week’s highly touted 4 Nations Face-Off matches between the USA and Canada, fighting and physicality were widespread and celebrated. That’s a brutal and sorry memorial to Hull, and a reminder that fans, hockey media and the league have yet to reckon with the well-documented toll of the NHL game.