The Anniversary of Derek Boogaard’s Last Fight

In the days following Boogaard’s death, Carkner said he felt horrible for the Boogaard family, but he has always chosen his words carefully.

“That’s not really an issue,” Carkner said, when asked about the fight. “I don’t really want to say anything about it. It’s sad that (he died), but I don’t think the fight was anything to do with that. It’s other things (substance abuse) outside of the game of hockey that he was fighting. It’s sad to see that happen, but a lot of people do have troubles with that, so hopefully that raises awareness for that kind of thing.”