Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

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Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by dmiles2186 »

Not surprising at all. This is why the NHL is trying to cut down on fighting, et. al.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... TE=DEFAULT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ten former National Hockey League players are claiming in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasn't done enough to protect players from concussions.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, seeks damages to be determined at trial. The players are also seeking court-approved medical monitoring for their brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers.

The suit comes just three months after the National Football League agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems.

The ex-hockey players claim that the NHL purposely concealed the risks of brain injuries faced by players, exposing them to unnecessary dangers.

The NHL didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by Oaklandblue »

dmiles2186 wrote:Not surprising at all. This is why the NHL is trying to cut down on fighting, et. al.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... TE=DEFAULT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ten former National Hockey League players are claiming in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasn't done enough to protect players from concussions.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, seeks damages to be determined at trial. The players are also seeking court-approved medical monitoring for their brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers.

The suit comes just three months after the National Football League agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems.

The ex-hockey players claim that the NHL purposely concealed the risks of brain injuries faced by players, exposing them to unnecessary dangers.

The NHL didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Well, of course not, ain't that what the nhlPA is for? Shouldn't they be going to them and filing and the Players Association handles this stuff?

WHO are these "ten players" anyway? Out of a league that has, what, 700+ players in it just for this year alone, and out of all of them, TEN.....TEN file a class action? Just ten?

*pauses, collects his thoughts after that mental trainwreck and continues*

So let me get this straight: You play a CONTACT sport that, among things like ramming one another into walls, other teams and your own boxes and so forth and includes you fighting one another, as in my fist hits your face repeatedly AND YOU WANT TO SUE? I mean, didn't the NHL just get done in the last 20+ years requiring helmets, additional penalties for fighting and even removing your helmet during a fight and now even suspending the hell out of players just for touching someone NEAR the head?

The whole NFL difference is BS - how do you hit someone in the Football? You aim for the chest, right? Not the legs or the head because headshots become concussions and leg shots can end a career on a FULL CONTACT SPORT. Say that again. FULL CONTACT SPORT. Meaning you're going to get hit and it may really hurt. It's the nature of the game.

I think the NHL is doing a good job with calling out issues. Sucking at suspension times, but they're making an effort.

God I need an asprin.

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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by JPonder94 »

Gary Leeman (667 games, 1982-97), Brad Aitken (14 games, 1990-91), Darren Banks (20 NHL games, 1992-94), Curt Bennett (580 NHL games, 1970-80), Richard Dunn (483 games, 1977-1989), Warren Holmes (45 games, 1981-1984), Bob Manno (371 games, 1976-85), Blair Stewart (229 games, 1973-80), Morris Titanic (19 games, 1974-76) and Rick Vaive (876 games, 1979-92)

How can a man with 19 NHL games played sue the NHL for concussion problems? Does this make sense to anyone else?

That would be like me working 19 days in a warehouse, finding another job and 30 years down the road suing the warehouse company because of my shotty knees.
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by kodos »

I've never heard of a single one of these players.

But, Morris Titanic is a freaking awesome name.
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by ViPeRx007 »

Why exactly is it the league's fault for players playing a game in which head injuries are a possibility? The players choose to fight, the players choose to hit. The players know what they're getting into when they sign up for this. The only way I can see the league covering their behinds from crap like this is eliminating fighting, but then you'd probably better eliminate checking altogether then....and then ice skates...and ice....and sticks, and hard pucks. Maybe the players should just control a robot version of themselves from the comfort of the press box.

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You'd think the league would just have all the players sign a waiver of some kind and that's all they'd need to do. I'm willing to bet most of them would rather play a professional sport for a living and make professional athlete money than bow out due to a risk that they might get injured.

Don't pussify the game due to a select few incidents. That's stupid.
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by cardsfan04 »

I somewhat understood the NFL case because apparently the NFL intentionally hid knowledge of the effects from players. But thus gas the feel of, "Hey, they got a bunch of money, and I want money too."
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by dmiles2186 »

All this stuff we know about brain and head injuries really has come to the forefront in the last 4-5 years or so. If you played in the early-00's or earlier, you'd fight of a concussion and go back in the game. Now we're finding out that concussions don't just have short term affects. And apparently they feel like they should be compensated for that.

I'll have to read up on this more in the coming days, when more comes out on this. The NFL players had a case, because the NFL flat out lied and tried to hide/bury people who were studying and trying to prove the long term affects of concussions. I'm not sure the NHL was ever in on that.

If the NHL is guilty of anything it's that, like the majority of us, didn't know just how serious repeated blows to the head are. What we're finding out is that it's not always a concussion that causes this. Just repeated hits to the head that are non-concussive can lead to degenerative brain disease as early as the late 30's, early 40's.

If these guys can prove Bettman and Co., like Tagliabue/Goodell and Co. tried to hide or ignore this information once they found out about it? Then they've got a case. But the NHL has clearly been trying to make movements forward in terms of treating head/brain injuries. For me, it's not pansifying the game, or whatever you want to call it. It's about creating a sport that's safe enough to continue. It's my opinion that the NFL, just like boxing, is going to die out eventually because of the stigma that comes with playing it. Yes, I know the NFL is a behemoth. But over time, I think we'll see a shift, much like boxing, and other sports will surpass it, even though it is unthinkable now. For the NHL to stick around, they have to make these changes, otherwise, youth hockey numbers will go down (like football's are now) and the sport will dry up.
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by philco_3 »

kodos wrote:I've never heard of a single one of these players.

But, Morris Titanic is a freaking awesome name.
I thought for sure I would see Eric Lindros, Andy McDonald or Paul Kariya on that list...
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by Kreegz2 »

Rick Vaive was the Leafs' first ever 50 goal scorer. None of the other guys are particularly recognizable
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by Oaklandblue »

What I found head-canting about this is how we got a bunch of low-to-no names who are part of a class action.
philco_3 wrote:
kodos wrote:I've never heard of a single one of these players.

But, Morris Titanic is a freaking awesome name.
I thought for sure I would see Eric Lindros, Andy McDonald or Paul Kariya on that list...
Couldn't even get Prongs involved?

What's that tell you?
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Re: Ex-NHL'ers Suing the League over Concussions

Post by glen a richter »

Darren Banks sounded familiar and then I remembered, he spent some time in the RHI playing for the Jawz. 4 games, 3 points, not exactly a team leader but I do remember him.
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