On Monday's episode of Puck Daddy Radio, author Ross Bernstein ("The Code"; "Slap Shot Original") spoke about a book project he worked on with the late Derek Boogaard called "Meet The Boogey Man: Fighting My Way To the Top."
"Unfortunately, the book died with Derek," he said of Boogaard, the 28-year-old Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers enforcer who was found dead at on Friday in his Minneapolis apartment.
The interview runs about eight minutes and includes plenty of reflections on Boogaard's career, life and legacy. It also offers a rather chilling glimpse into Boogaard's multiple concussions as a fighter, and how they affected him.
From Bernstein:
"I remember one day last summer — and I never really told this story before — I was playing in a golf tournament and I got a call from him. And he said, 'Come get me.'
"I said, 'Well, I'm playing golf.'
"He said, 'I need you to come get me.'
"I said, 'Well, where are you?'
"He said, 'I don't know.' It turned out he was at a big home improvement store.
"It's amazing what these guys go through, and the pounding they take. … I don't know what the ultimate cause is going to be [in his death]. I'm hoping for the best. But I know it really took a toll on him."
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