Report: Two charged in Derek Boogaard overdose death, one a son of a former Islander

Two men have been charged for their roles in the death of New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard, who overdosed on prescription painkillers in 2011. Fox5 in New York was the first to report of the arrests.

Jordan Hart, son of original Islanders defenseman Gerry Hart, and who also played in the team's minor league system, was indicted on charges of selling Boogaard pills beginning in 2010. Hart reportedly obtained the pills from Oscar Johnson who was a member of the Utah Grizzlies medical staff when Hart player there from 2007-2009.

From the New York Times story:

Johnson prescribed Hart nearly 3,000 pills of Percocet from 2009 to 2011, the indictment says, though Hart was no longer with the team and was living in New York.

Beginning in late 2010, the indictment charges, Hart sold at least some of those pills to Boogaard. The indictment says that Hart was introduced to Boogaard through another Rangers player at the time. It does not name the player.

Johnson was also arrested and charged with possession and distribution, as well as lying to DEA investigators, according to the Times.

Boogaard's drug issues and death were the subject of a harrowing three-part series in the Times, which documented his career from junior to the NHL and the injuries that led to his addiction to painkillers. Boogaard was found dead on May 13, 2011 in Minneapolis after attending a rehab clinic. Frequent blows to the head are believed to have been the cause of his chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, an Alzheimer's-like brain disease often found posthumously in boxers and NFL players and linked to substance abuse.

Jordan Hart, from Huntington, joined the Islanders system in 2007 and played defense with the Utah Grizziles and Bridgeport Sound Tigers until 2009. The Times story says that after leaving the game, Hart worked for Hilton Capital Management in Garden City, where Clark Gillies is a v.p.

Hart's father Gerry was a fan-favorite defenseman for the expansion Islanders until just prior to the dynasty era, when he was claimed in the 1979 expansion draft by the Quebec Nordiques. Known for his scrappy style, Gerry Hart is 10th on the Islanders all time penalty minutes list with 783.

Newsday also has a story as well with some extra details ($).