Henri “Pocket Rocket” Richard, 11-time Stanley Cup winner, was diagnosed with CTE after his death in 2020

According to Henri Richard’s family, the late Hockey Hall of Famer has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease associated with concussions.

Richard, who died in 2020 at the age of 84, was treated by Dr. Stephen Saikali was diagnosed with CTE at Université Laval in Québec City. The disease, which can only be diagnosed posthumously, can cause memory loss, depression and violent mood swings in athletes, combat veterans and others who experience repeated head trauma.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation said 16 of 17 NHL players surveyed have now been diagnosed with CTE, including Steve Montador, Ralph Backstrom, Bob Probert and Hall of Famer Stan Mikita.

“Henri Richard was not an enforcer and CTE still damaged his brain,” said Tim Fleiszer, a former Canadian Football League player and executive director of CLF Canada. “It is high time for all of us in the Canadian sports community to recognize the long-term effects of repeated exposure on the brain.”

Henri Richard earned the nickname “Pocket Rocket” after following his brother and fellow Hall of Famer Maurice “Rocket” Richard into the sport. In his 20-year career, he won the Stanley Cup 11 times – the most in NHL history. From 1955 to 1975 he had 358 goals and 688 assists for the Montreal Canadiens.

Teammate and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden said Richard didn’t fit “any of the simple clichés” from a time when players didn’t wear helmets and fights were the order of the day.

“Like Stan Mikita and Ralph Backstrom, he was a great skater and physical, but he had a playmaker’s mind and played like one. But all those hits to the head,” Dryden said. “We have to understand that regardless of the sport, a hit to the head is not a good thing.”

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