Six-time Stanley Cup champion Ralph Backstrom diagnosed with CTE posthumously

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Ralph Backstrom, who passed away nearly one year ago at the age of 83, has been posthumously diagnosed with severe CTE.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), for those who don't know, is a brain degeneration that is caused by repeated hits to the head. It's most commonly found in athletes and military veterans.

Backstrom donated his brain to Boston University and in October, his family was given the results of the testing which confirmed stage 3 CTE.

"Ralph would have been proud of this research to know that even after he died, he could be helping others by increasing our knowledge about CTE," Backstrom's widow, Janet told TSN. "This is now part of Ralph's legacy."

"Ralph made me so happy, he made me laugh every day," Janet said. "He didn't like to talk a lot about the hits that he took playing in the NHL. I remember him going to the doctor to have some sinus work done and the doctor asked him how many times he had his nose broken. Ralph answered, 'Oh, maybe once.' The doctor laughed and said, 'No way. You've had your nose broken at least 16 times.'"

The most interesting thing about Ralph's diagnosis, as TSN's Rick Westhead points out, is that Backstrom was a scorer and playmaker and not a big hitter or fighter. His career high in penalty minutes was 51 which came during the 1962-63 season.

"This is significant because it draws attention to the fact that former players who were known as skill players are being diagnosed with CTE," said Chris Nowinski, the co-founder and chief executive of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. "This goes beyond fighters and big hitters."

Backstrom spent parts of seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League for Montreal, Los Angeles and Chicago. He won the Calder Trophy in 1958-59 as the NHL's best rookie that season, and he won the Stanley Cup six times as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Ralph Backstrom, who won six Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, had a severe form of CTE, a degenerative brain disease discovered in athletes, military veterans and others with a history of repeated hits to the head.

Story from @rwesthead: https://t.co/FyP4p81Jsm pic.twitter.com/fTYG6EFSfQ— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) February 1, 2022

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