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Former NHLer Jeff Parker dies at 53, family will donate brain for CTE research

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Former NHL forward Jeff Parker has passed away, according to numerous reports. He was 53 years old.

More from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

A former NHL hockey player from the Twin Cities, whose career was cut short by head injuries and is part of the concussion lawsuit against the league, has died and will have his brain donated for examination.

Jeff Parker, who turned 53 a week ago and played in parts of five seasons in the NHL in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died Monday, the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office said Thursday.

His longtime partner, Melina Miller, of Minneapolis, told the Star Tribune that Parker died at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis from cardiopulmonary hypertension that brought on heart and lung infections.

Miller said Parker’s brain will be donated to Boston University to determine whether he suffered from the debilitating disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

According to TSN.ca, Parker joined the lawsuit against the NHL in February 2015.

Parker played 141 games in the NHL, mostly for the Buffalo Sabres, before a brief four-game stint with the Hartford Whalers during the 1990-91 season.

During his time in the league, Parker scored 16 goals and 35 points, and recorded 163 penalty minutes.