Former NHL player Chris Simon dies at 52 as family blames CTE

• Player had been suffering from anxiety and depression
• Simon won Stanley Cup with Colorado Avalanche

Former NHL winger Chris Simon died on Tuesday night, with his family blaming his death on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Simon's family confirmed the 52-year-old took his own life and believe he was suffering from brain trauma. CTE can only be diagnosed through a postmortem although progress is being made towards an assessment in the living.

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org