New Jersey Devils’ defenseman Ben Lovejoy becomes 1st NHL player to pledge brain to CTE research
The 33-year-old has pledged his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
The NHL now has an active player set to help CTE research thanks to New Jersey Devils’ defenseman Ben Lovejoy. On Thursday, the Concussion Legacy Foundation announced that Lovejoy has pledged his brain to CTE research, becoming the first NHL player to do so.
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is the progressive degenerative disease that develops as a result of repetitive brain trauma. The disease is often associated with contact sports and is among the current debates surrounding concussion studies in sports like hockey and football.
Lovejoy, 33, is now one of more than 2,500 former athletes and military veterans that have pledged to donate their brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation since 2008, with the donation going to the My Legacy campaign.
In a press release from the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Lovejoy expressed his eagerness to help the cause.
“Hockey has been so good to me. Hockey has helped me make a ton of friends, travel the country and the world, get into an Ivy league school, and has given me an amazing job that has paid me really well for 11 years,” said Lovejoy. “For 33 years now, my life has revolved, almost exclusively, around hockey. I have pledged to donate my brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation to give back to the sport that has given me so much, with the hope that it can continue to get safer.”
In speaking to NJ.com, Lovejoy also touched on his reasonings for pledging to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
"I'm a believer in medicine, I'm a believer in helping the future," Lovejoy said. "This summer I read an article about how many NFL players had pledged their brain and there were no current NHL players. I immediately forwarded the article to my agent, who went to (Boston University), and said, 'Can you look into this and figure out how I can do this?'"
While Lovejoy has not been diagnosed with any head-related injuries during his 10-year NHL career, he had reportedly been talking about donating his brain around three or four years ago.
“I am lucky,” Lovejoy said. “I have had very little head trauma throughout my career. But I have had teammates, both high profile stars and minor role players, who have struggled with concussions.”
Lovejoy has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks so far in his NHL career, alongside his current team of two seasons, the Devils.