Greg Johnson — NHL veteran who died by suicide in 2019 — diagnosed with CTE, family says

Greg Johnson, a former NHL center and Nashville Predators captain who died by suicide in 2019, was diagnosed with CTE, his family announced through the Concussion Legacy Foundation on Wednesday.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused in part by repeated traumatic brain injuries, such as those experienced in contact sports or military combat, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CTE can only be definitively diagnosed by an autopsy of the brain after death.

Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, who has led NIH-funded research on the disease, diagnosed Johnson with CTE, a news release from the Concussion Legacy Foundation said. McKee was not able to definitively determine the severity of Johnson’s CTE due to the manner of his death, per the release.

A post-mortem CTE diagnosis should not be considered as the cause of suicide, which is “complex and multifactorial,” the release noted, but traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with suicide independent of CTE. The relationship between TBI, CTE and suicide has not been formally studied, the release said.

Johnson died at age 48 on July 7, 2019, in Rochester, Mich. No suicide note was left, according to the Detroit News, which cited a Rochester Police report. The Oakland County (Mich.) Medical Examiner declined to discuss findings from an autopsy completed around the time of Johnson’s death, the Detroit News previously reported.

Johnson’s wife of 22 years, Kristin Johnson, said that his CTE diagnosis “took (her) breath away.”

“Greg’s death shattered our world, and we never once thought this disease was something he struggled with,” Kristin said in a news release. “He experienced very few symptoms that we knew of, but he spoke of his concussions often. I remember the exact moment he told me his heart condition (that forced) him to retire was a blessing because he couldn’t take another hit. He knew his hockey career had a profound impact on his brain.”

Johnson’s eldest daughter, Carson Johnson, said she had “no idea what CTE even stood for when (her) dad took his life.”

“Now understanding that the hits he endured throughout his hockey career damaged his brain, I want all athletes to understand the risks and I want the NHL to start
acknowledging it exists and do more to protect its players so other daughters don’t have to lose their fathers,” Carson said in the release.

Piper Johnson, Johnson’s youngest daughter, added: “He truly was the best dad ever, and to lose him to suicide was beyond anything we could imagine. It was awful, but we want to talk about it to help others struggling know they are not alone, and there is help available.”

The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Johnson in the second round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, but he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1993 before ever appearing for Philadelphia. He spent the next 12 seasons in the NHL playing for the Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Predators, finishing his career with 145 goals and 224 assists in 785 games.

Johnson, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, was also a member of Canada’s national team, winning a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. He won gold with Canada in the 1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Johnson played college ice hockey for the University of North Dakota from 1989 through 1993.

He retired in 2006 after an irregular heartbeat was discovered during a physical examination.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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(Photo: Noah Graham / Getty Images)