Death of former enforcer comes with unacceptable comments from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman

«The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death,» the statement, provided by Simon's former agent, Paul Theofanous, on behalf of Simon's family, read. We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend. The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss.»

«Chris' passing is tragic, it's sad. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. And, you know, on all of these matters, we wait to see what the medical experts tell us. Having said that, I think it's well documented with all of the progress that we've made over the last couple decades to make the game as safe as possible.»