NHL Expected to Review Behavioral Programs Following Players Deaths

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expects the league to review its substance abuse and behavioral health program after the deaths of two players over the summer.

Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien and New York Rangers tough guy Derek Boogaard both spent time in the program, which is run in conjunction with the NHL Players' Association.

Bettman told The Canadian Press at the league's research and development camp on Wednesday: "I don't think any sports league does more than we do, but maybe there's more, as we focus on it, that we need to focus on."

Rypien died Monday at his offseason home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, where a police official said a call was answered for a "sudden and non-suspicious" death. He was 27.

Boogaard died at age 28 in May due to an accidental mix of alcohol and the painkiller oxycodone.