Derek Boogaard Found Dead

New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minnesota apartment by his family on Friday. He was 28. The cause of death is unknown, and an autopsy will be conducted Saturday. Last July, Boogaard had signed a four-year $6.5 million contract with the Rangers after five seasons with the Minnesota Wild, but he played only 22 games in New York because of a serious concussion. After the injury, he talked about how he'd never experienced anything like it, and how he barely could leave his apartment for weeks and had to wear sunglasses outside. Boogaard had a reputation as a fighter on the rink. In 255 games with the Wild, he had 54 fights and earned 544 penalty minutes. But he was also beloved by his teammates. “I don't know how to describe it," said Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom. "It's really hard. Unreal guy. Great friend and an awesome teammate. Just a really big teddy bear. Outside the rink, he didn't want bad for anyone.”