Great feature by Russo - Derek Boogaard: A killer addiction
Two years ago, in August, Ryan Boogaard had a disturbing phone conversation with his older brother. "He was just out of it. He wasn't Derek," Ryan said. "I had no idea what was going on. I hung up, immediately called my parents and said, 'There's something wrong with Derek.'" The same introverted Derek Boogaard was observed at the Minnesota State Fair around the same time. Out to model the Wild's new third jersey, the fun-loving enforcer looked sluggish and unhappy. "A month later," Ryan said, "we found out he was hooked on painkillers." It would be an addiction Derek Boogaard would never beat. On May 13, he died from a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkiller Oxycodone.

