LaCouture et al v. National Hockey League

Filing 4

AMENDED COMPLAINT amending 2 Complaint, against National Hockey League with JURY DEMAND.Document filed by Dan Keczmer, Jack Carlson, Brad Maxwell, Allan Rourke, Michael Peluso, Scott Bailey, Dan LaCouture, Richard Brennan, Tom Younghans. Related document: 2 Complaint, filed by Brad Maxwell, Dan Keczmer, Richard Brennan, Jack Carlson, Scott Bailey, Allan Rourke, Tom Younghans, Michael Peluso, Dan LaCouture.(Rudman, Samuel)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

x
DAN LaCOUTURE, DAN KECZMER, JACK :
CARLSON, RICHARD BRENNAN, BRAD :
MAXWELL, MICHAEL PELUSO, TOM
:
YOUNGHANS, ALLAN ROURKE, and
:
SCOTT BAILEY, Individually and on Behalf :
of All Others Similarly Situated,
:
:
Plaintiffs,
:
:
vs.
:
:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE,
:
:
Defendant.
:
:
x

Civil Action No. 1:14-cv-02531-SAS
[CORRECTED] CLASS ACTION
COMPLAINT

JURY TRIAL DEMANDED

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I.

INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1

II.

JURISDICTION AND VENUE ..........................................................................................5

III.

THE PARTIES.....................................................................................................................5

IV.

SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS .....................................................................................9
A.

The Origins of the NHL ...........................................................................................9

B.

The NHL Quickly Establishes Its Roots in Extreme Violence ..............................11
1.

The Coutu Incidents ...................................................................................12

2.

The Cleghorn Incidents ..............................................................................13

3.

The Richard Incident..................................................................................14

C.

The NHL Fosters a Culture of “Enforcers” and “Goons”......................................15

D.

The NHL Is Now Inextricably Linked to Extreme Violence .................................20
1.

Documentary Depictions of Extreme Violence .........................................20

2.

Abstract and Other Media Depictions of Extreme Violence .....................22

E.

The NHL Uses Its Extreme Violence as a Commodity to Generate Billions
of Dollars ...............................................................................................................25

F.

The NHL Has Known that Its Violent Construct Has Created and Will
Continue to Create Imminent Risks of Head Trauma to NHL Players
Which Result in Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health Effects ................30
1.

The Concussion Problem Is Endemic to the NHL .....................................30

2.

Scientists Warn Against the Concussion Problem While the NHL
Continues Profiting from Extreme Violence .............................................32

3.

The NHL’s Knowledge of Head Trauma Documented Through
Media Coverage of NHL Incidents ............................................................42

4.

The NHL’s Knowledge of Head Trauma to Its Own Icons .......................47
a.

Gordie Howe’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................48

b.

Marc Savard’s Head Trauma Issues ..............................................48
i

Page
c.
d.

Dennis Vaske’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................52

e.

Gino Odjick’s Head Trauma Issues ...............................................52

f.

Dean Chynoweth’s Head Trauma Issues .......................................53

g.

Geoff Courtnall’s Head Trauma Issues..........................................54

h.

Petr Svoboda’s Head Trauma Issues..............................................56

i.

Jeff Beukeboom’s Head Trauma Issues .........................................57

j.

Adam Deadmarsh’s Head Trauma Issues ......................................58

k.

Stu Grimson’s Head Trauma Issues ...............................................60

l.

The Moore Brothers’ Head Trauma Issues ....................................62

m.

Keith Primeau’s Head Trauma Issues ............................................63

n.

Matthew Barnaby’s Head Trauma Issues ......................................64

o.

Mike Richter’s Head Trauma Issues ..............................................65

p.

Scott Stevens’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................66

q.

Pat LaFontaine’s Head Trauma Issues ...........................................67

r.

Chris Pronger’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................69

s.

Paul Kariya’s Head Trauma Issues ................................................70

t.

The Lindros Brothers’ Head Trauma Issues ..................................73

u.
G.

Nick Kypreos’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................50

Tony Granato’s Head Trauma Issues .............................................76

Despite Knowledge of the Imminent Risk of Head Trauma and Its
Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health Effects, the NHL Has Failed
to Warn and Adequately Protect Its Players ..........................................................77
1.

The NHL Spurns Many Different Calls for Change Throughout the
Eras ............................................................................................................79
a.

The Sports Violence Act of 1980...................................................80
ii

Page
b.

The McMurtry Report ....................................................................82

c.

Hockey Legends Blow the Whistle................................................83

d.

Canadian Authorities Seek Reform ...............................................85

e.

Additional Backlash .......................................................................86

f.

The Rink.........................................................................................87

g.

Player Equipment ...........................................................................88

2.

In 1997, the NHL Undertakes an Untimely and Purposefully
Ineffective “Concussion Program” ............................................................89

3.

The NHL Undertakes an Untimely and Purposefully Ineffective
Rule 48 .......................................................................................................91
a.

4.

The Head Trauma to Sidney Crosby Further Exposes the
NHL’s Failure to Warn and Adequately Protect Against the
Imminent Risk of Head Trauma and Its Devastating and
Long-Term Negative Health Effects ..............................................92

NHL Players Still Face the Same Imminent Risk of Head Trauma
and Its Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health Effects ...................95
a.

Scientists Continue to Warn Against the Concussion
Problem ..........................................................................................95

b.

The NHL Has Not Implemented Effective Change .......................95

c.

The NHL Keeps Profiteering from Extreme Violence ..................96

V.

TOLLING OF THE STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS ...................................................104

VI.

CLASS ACTION ALLEGATIONS ................................................................................105

COUNT I - NEGLIGENCE .........................................................................................................106
COUNT II - INTENTIONAL HARM .........................................................................................107
COUNT III - FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT......................................................................108
PRAYER FOR RELIEF ..............................................................................................................109

iii

Page
JURY TRIAL DEMAND ............................................................................................................110

iv

The above-captioned plaintiffs (“Plaintiffs”) bring this class action complaint against the
National Hockey League (the “NHL”). Plaintiffs seek damages, including punitive damages,
and equitable relief on behalf of a class of all former and current NHL players as a result of the
NHL’s unlawful exploitation of its players. Through the sophisticated use of extreme violence
as a commodity, from which the NHL has generated billions of dollars, the NHL has subjected
and continues to subject its players to the imminent risk of head trauma and, as a result,
devastating and long-term negative health consequences. The NHL has failed and continues to
fail to warn its players of these risks and consequences of head trauma, concealing material
scientific and anecdotal information from its players. The NHL has failed to institute policies
and protocols that could have and will protect its players from suffering or exacerbating head
trauma sustained during practice or in games. Plaintiffs further allege as follows:
I.

INTRODUCTION
1.

Ice hockey is the most difficult team sport in the world.1 The puck changes

possession on average 450 times per game.2 Players move at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour.3
For this, ice hockey demands levels of agility, dexterity, strength, and mental prowess like no
other team sport.

1

Boxing’s Knockout Punch, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills (last visited Mar.
31, 2014).

2

Anssi Arjala, et al, An instrument for analyzing offensive game sense in ice hockey, April,
2013,
http://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/59884/Arjala%20Petaja%20Final.pdf?
sequence=; Hockey IQ Train Your Brain, http://www.icejets.com/page/show/175814-hockeysense (last visited Mar. 31, 2014).
3

Sarah Grim Hostetler, Huiyun Xiang & Gary A. Smith, Characteristics of Ice Hockey –
Related Injuries Treated in US Emergency Departments, 2001 – 2002, Pediatrics, (Dec. 6, 2004),
http://pediatrics. aappublications.org/content/114/6/e661.full.html.

-1-

2.

While fans have continually flocked to marvel at the world’s best athletes

competing in the sport of ice hockey, the NHL has looked at ice hockey players as a means to an
end. For the NHL, it has been about exploiting the supreme athleticism of its players in order to
generate revenue. And early on, the NHL saw extreme violence as a way to bring more fans to
the game.
3.

As opposed to other elite-level ice hockey organizations, like the European ice

hockey leagues and the Olympics, the NHL fostered and promoted an extremely physical game
of ice hockey. Through enclosed rink designs and lax rules for fighting, the NHL vectored a
culture of extreme violence and packaged the spoils to adoring fans. Throughout the NHL’s
history, iconic violence has thrived, exemplified by players like the “Broad Street Bullies,” and
other notable “enforcers” and “goons” throughout the NHL’s many different eras.

-2-

4.

There are countless references in popular culture documenting, parodying and

recognizing the NHL’s inextricable ties to extreme violence, including poignant images such as:

-3-

4

5.

Ultimately, the NHL has successfully extracted prolific sums of money exploiting

its players through extreme violence for many decades. In fact, in 2012 the NHL’s revenues
reached an all-time high of $3.3 billion.5
6.

Plaintiffs bring this class action lawsuit on behalf of all current and former NHL

players because the NHL’s exploitation of its players has been and is inequitable. Plaintiffs and
the Class (as defined below) have suffered and will continue to suffer serious health problems as
a result of the NHL’s sophisticated use of extreme violence to bring fans to the game in hockey
arenas, on television, the radio and the Internet.
7.

Specifically, despite the fact that the NHL’s violent game design induces head

trauma, including concussions, the NHL has failed and continues to fail to warn its players of the
risks to their lives and the devastating and long-term negative health effects. In fact, the NHL
affirmatively concealed specific anecdotal evidence from players and scientific evidence about
4

Bobby Clarke, Fiery Leader of the Flyers, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (Feb. 23, 1976),
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8473/index.htm (last visited Mar. 31, 2014);
The Best, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (June 10, 2013), http://www.sicovers.com/Product.
aspx?pid=2644 (last visited Mar. 31, 2014).
5

Michael Grange, Bettman: NHL earned big revenues this season (May 31, 2012),
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/grange-bettman-large-revenues-nhl/ (last visited Mar. 31,
2014).
-4-

the health risks and consequences associated with playing in the NHL, including head injuries.
To maintain its billions in revenue, the NHL also purposefully failed to institute policies and
protocols that would protect its players from exacerbating injuries sustained during practice or in
games.
8.

Plaintiffs seek damages, including punitive damages, and equitable relief on

behalf of the Class. Among other things, Plaintiffs ask this Court to order the NHL to institute a
medical monitoring program that appropriately cares for former and current NHL players, as a
result of the lifelong health problems they have suffered and will suffer as a result of the NHL’s
misconduct.
II.

JURISDICTION AND VENUE
9.

This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§1332(d), in that the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $5,000,000 exclusive of
interest and costs, and is a class action of more than 100 potential Class members in which at
least one Plaintiff is a citizen of a State different from the NHL.
10.

This Court has personal jurisdiction over the NHL because the NHL has

substantial and continuous business contacts with the State of New York.
11.

Venue is proper in this District under 28 U.S.C. §1391. The NHL resides, is

found, and has its principal place of business, has an agent, or has transacted substantial business
within the Southern District of New York and the NHL is an entity with an unincorporated
association subject to personal jurisdiction in this District. Further, a substantial part of the
events giving rise to the claims alleged herein occurred in the Southern District of New York.
III.

THE PARTIES
12.

Plaintiff Dan LaCouture (“LaCouture”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Massachusetts. LaCouture played in the NHL at various times from 1998 until 2009. LaCouture
-5-

was the 29th draft pick into the NHL in 1996. LaCouture played in 337 NHL games. LaCouture
was involved in a total of 52 fights in NHL games. LaCouture was a forward. In one NHL game,
LaCouture suffered a concussion at the hands of opposing player Robyn Regehr (“Regehr”), as
depicted below:

13.

Regehr currently plays in the NHL6, has played in over 1000 NHL games,7 has

been involved in 41 fights in NHL games,8 and recently signed a two-year, $6 million contract
extension.9 Meanwhile, LaCouture was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of
the NHL’s misconduct further described herein. Among other things, LaCouture suffers from
headaches, irritability, sensitivity to light, change of personality, and depression.
14.

Plaintiff Dan Keczmer (“Keczmer”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Tennessee. Keczmer was the 201st draft pick into the NHL in 1986. Keczmer played in 235
NHL games. Keczmer played in 12 Stanley Cup playoff games. Keczmer was a defenseman.
6

Players: Robyn Regehr, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8467344 (last
visited Apr. 4, 2014).
7

Id.

8

Robyn Regehr, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/224 (last visited
Apr. 4, 2014).

9

Arash Markazi, Robyn Regehr signs 2-year extension, ESPN LA (May 30, 2013),
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nhl/story/_/id/9326764/robyn-regehr-signs-two-year-extensionlos-angeles-kings.
-6-

Keczmer was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s misconduct
further described herein.
15.

Plaintiff Jack Carlson (“Carlson”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Minnesota. Carlson was the 117th draft pick into the NHL in 1974. Carlson played in the NHL at
various times from 1978 until 1987. Carlson played in 236 NHL games. Carlson was a forward.
Carlson was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s misconduct
further described herein.
16.

Plaintiff Richard Brennan (“Brennan”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Massachusetts. Brennan was the 46th draft pick into the NHL in 1991. Brennan played in the
NHL from 1996 to 2003. Brennan played in 50 NHL games. Brennan was a defenseman.
Brennan was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s misconduct
further described herein.
17.

Plaintiff Brad Maxwell (“Maxwell”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Minnesota. Maxwell played in the NHL at various times from 1977 until 1987. Maxwell was
the 7th draft pick into the NHL in 1977. Maxwell played in 612 NHL games. Maxwell was a
defenseman. Maxwell was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s
misconduct further described herein.
18.

Plaintiff Michael Peluso (“Peluso”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Minnesota. Peluso played in the NHL at various times from 1990 until 1998. Peluso was the
190th draft pick into the NHL in 1984. Peluso played in 458 NHL games. Peluso was involved
in a total of 179 fights in NHL games. Peluso had 1,951 penalty minutes during his NHL career.
Peluso is one of four players to incur over 400 penalty minutes in one season. Peluso was a

-7-

forward. Peluso was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s
misconduct further described herein.
19.

Plaintiff Tom Younghans (“Younghans”) is a resident and citizen of the State of

Minnesota. Younghans played in the NHL at various times from 1976 until 1982. Younghans
played in 429 NHL games. Younghans was involved in a total of 31 fights in NHL games.
Younghans was a forward. Younghans was, has been and will continue to be damaged as a
result of the NHL’s misconduct further described herein.
20.

Plaintiff Allan Rourke (“Rourke”) is a resident and citizen of Canada. Rourke

played in the NHL at various times from 2003 until 2008. Rourke was the 154th draft pick into
the NHL in 1998. Rourke played in 55 NHL games. Rourke was involved in one fight in an
NHL regular season game. Rourke was a defenseman. Rourke was, has been and will continue
to be damaged as a result of the NHL’s misconduct further described herein.
21.

Plaintiff Scott Bailey (“Bailey”) is a resident and citizen of Canada. Bailey played

in the NHL in 1995 and 1996. Bailey was the 112th draft pick into the NHL in 1992. Bailey
played in 19 NHL games. Bailey was a goalie. Bailey was, has been and will continue to be
damaged as a result of the NHL’s misconduct further described herein.
22.

Defendant NHL, which maintains its principal place of business at 1185 Avenue

of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, is an unincorporated association consisting of 30
franchised member clubs. The NHL posted $3.23 billion in total revenue for the 2011-2012
season, the last full season before the lockout-shortened the 2012-2013 campaign.10 In 2012-

10

Christopher Botta, NHL fleshes out three-year plan, SPORTS BUS. JOURNAL, (Sept. 9, 2013),
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/09/09/Leagues-and-GoverningBodies/NHL-reorg.aspx.
-8-

2013, when each team played 48 regular-season games instead of the usual 82, the league has
projected $2.4 billion in total revenue.11
23.

The NHL is in the business of, among other things, operating the sole major

professional hockey league in the United States and Canada. As such, the NHL promotes,
organizes, and regulates the sport of professional hockey in the United States and Canada.
IV.

SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS
A.

The Origins of the NHL

24.

Ice hockey’s modern roots began on March 3, 1875, in Victoria Skating Rink in

Montreal, Canada.12 That is where the first, documented and organized indoor ice hockey game
occurred.13 For centuries and perhaps millennia prior, people used various, crude devices and
rules to synthesize “’ball and stick’” games on ice.14
25.

In the years following the first game at Victoria Skating Rink, students at McGill

University and players called the “Montreal Victorias” started ice hockey clubs.15 As popularity
for the sport grew, the first “world championship” took place in 1883 at the Winter Carnival in
Montreal, Canada.16

11

Id.

12

Earl Zuckerman, McGill’s contribution to the original origins of ice hockey, McGill
University (March 17, 2006), http://web.archive.org/web/20061004083915/http://www.athletics.
mcgill.ca/varsity_sports_article.ch2?article_id=81.

13

Id.

14

Id.

15

Id.

16

Id.
-9-

26.

Subsequently, in 1886, the first official hockey league, the Canadian Amateur

Hockey Association, was founded in Montreal, Canada.17 The Dominion Hockey Association,
as it was also known, created a hockey season for teams in pursuit of a championship.18 In 1883,
the first championship cup was awarded to the championship team – this cup is now known as
the Stanley Cup, awarded to the top NHL team.
27.

The sport’s popularity grew and, eventually the first U.S. ice hockey league was

formed in New York City, in 1896. Ice hockey was also played in Europe around that time.19 In
1895, there was a game played in Buckingham Palace.20 Eventually, the first European ice
hockey league was formed in 1908.21
28.

The first professional leagues were formed in the early 1900s, e.g., the Western

Pennsylvania Hockey League and the International Professional Hockey League.22 In 1910, ice
hockey enthusiasts formed the National Hockey Association.23

17

Id.

18

The National Hockey

Id.

19

Murky Beginnings The Establishment of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club ca. 1885,
Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, http://web.archive.org/web/20020320214131/
http://www.ouihc.org/historybeg.asp (last visited Mar. 26, 2014)
20

Id.

21

History of Ice Hockey 1908-1913 Ligue Internationale De Hockey Sur Glace,
http://web.archive.org/web/20061017052145/http://www.iihf.com/iihf/history/1908.htm
(last
visited Mar. 26, 2014).
22

Professional Hockey Leagues Exploring the Past Hockey Leagues of North America,
International Pro Hockey League (1904-1907), http://www.hockeyleaguehistory.com/
International_Pro_Hockey_League.htm (last visited Mar. 26, 2014)

23

Professional Hockey Leagues Exploring the Past Hockey Leagues of North America,
National
Hockey
Association
(1909-1917),
http://www.hockeyleaguehistory.com/
National_Hockey_Association.htm (last visited Mar. 26, 2014)
- 10 -

Association codified a three-period game structure and a penalty mechanism for dealing with
rough play.24
29.

In 1917, the National Hockey Association reorganized as the NHL.25 The NHL

operates in the United States and Canada, utilizing players from around the globe.26
Correspondingly, ice hockey is played at the Olympics using NHL and other professional
players.27 Similarly, professional ice hockey is played in leagues throughout most European
countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Norway,
Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.28
B.

The NHL Quickly Establishes Its Roots in Extreme Violence

30.

The NHL has long been known for its violence.

Some early violence was

attributable to the inherent nature of the game, which developments in player equipment have
sought to nullify. For instance, NHL goalie Jacques Plante was the first to introduce a goaltender
mask for everyday use in a regular season game.29 Before that, NHL goalies were notoriously

24

Id.

25

http://www.nhl.com/history/112617nhl.html (last visited Mar. 26, 2014)

26

http://www.nhl.com/ice/teams.htm?navid=nav-tms-main (last visited Mar. 26, 2014);
http://www.nhl.com/ice/playersearch.htm?navid=nav-ply-plyrs# (last visited Mar. 26, 2014).
27

http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athletes-search?sport=IH&country=all&q=
Mar. 26, 2014).

28

(last

visited,

Id.

29

This Day In History: Jacques Plante is the first goalie to wear a facemask HISTORY.COM
(Nov. 1, 1959), http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jacques-plante-is-the-first-goalie-towear-a-facemask (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
- 11 -

afflicted by facial injuries from pucks.

Likewise, NHL goalie Emile Francis introduced a

catching mitt based on the design of a first baseman’s glove to protect the hands of goalies.30
31.

Nevertheless, the NHL has fostered violent behavior not inherent to the sport

since its inception. There are some enigmatic examples of the type of violent behavior in the
early years of the NHL that set the foundation for the eventual cultural association between
violence and hockey, which association, in turn, has become the NHL’s principle revenue
generator.
1.
32.

The Coutu Incidents

Wilfrid Arthur Coutu (“Coutu”) was a notorious NHL player. Coutu played in the

NHL from its inception in 1917 until 1927.31 Coutu, while playing for the Boston Bruins, fought
with his teammate Eddie Shore (“Shore”) during a practice.32 In the melee, Coutu severed
Shore’s ear, which was later sewn back on.33 The NHL imposed only a $50 fine on Coutu for
this incident, which was eventually refunded.34
33.

Two years later, in 1927, spurred on by his coach, Coutu instigated a bench-

clearing brawl during a game in the NHL’s championship series.35 Coutu tackled one referee

30

Pre-Game Skate: Origins & Evolution, Evolution of Goaltender’s Equipment, CHIN,
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do%3Bjsessionid=
4478F274143CCE61A0986B06CBCE6469?method=preview&lang=EN&id=5964 (last visited
Mar. 27, 2014).
31

Dave Stubbs, Coutu’s expulsion longest suspension in NHL history, THE STAR PHOENIX,
Dec. 26, 2007.
32

Id.

33

Id.

34

Id.

35

Id.
- 12 -

and challenged another.36 The NHL banned Coutu after the incident and fined him $100, only to
later lift the ban in 1932.37
2.
34.

The Cleghorn Incidents

Sprague Cleghorn (“Cleghorn”) was a notoriously violent player.

Cleghorn

played on various teams in the NHL from 1918 until 1928, including alongside Coutu for several
years.38
35.

In 1922, Cleghorn ignited a brawl during which he injured three different players

on the opposing Ottawa Senators’ team.39 The managers of the Ottawa Senators unsuccessfully
attempted to expel Cleghorn from the NHL.40 The referee of the game during which the incident
occurred called Cleghorn a “‘disgrace to the game.’”41
36.

Soon after, Cleghorn again attacked Lionel Hitchman (“Hitchman”) of the Ottawa

Senators during a game.42 Cleghorn used his hockey stick to strike Hitchman over the head.
Despite the fact that Cleghorn was criminally charged and found guilty of assault for his
misconduct during the game, Cleghorn was fined only $50 by the NHL.43
36

Id.

37

Id.

38

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=
Player& mem =P195803&list=ByName, www.HHOF.com (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
39

Want Cleghorn Out of Hockey, QUEBEC TELEGRAPH (Quebec City, Quebec), Feb. 3, 1922, at

2.
40

Id.

41

WIKIPEDIA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprague_Cleghorn (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

42

Violence in ice hockey, http://www.articleworld.org/index.php/Violence_in_ice_hockey,
ARTICLEWORLD.ORG (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
43

Id.
- 13 -

37.

The NHL inducted Cleghorn into its “Hall of Fame” in 1958.44
3.

38.

The Richard Incident

Maurice Richard (“Richard”) played in the NHL for the Montreal Canadians from

1942 until 1960.45 Richard was nicknamed the “Rocket” for his speed and scoring acumen.46
Richard was the first NHL player to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50 games, and tallied 544
goals in his career.47
39.

In a game against the Boston Bruins in 1955, Richard was hit in the head with a

stick by Bruins player Hal Laycoe, which required Richard to receive stitches to stop the
bleeding.48 In retaliation, Richard struck Laycoe on the shoulder with his stick, punched another
Bruins player in the face, and punched a referee.49 The Boston police attempted to arrest Richard
in the locker room but were kept away by Richard’s teammates.50
40.

The NHL subsequently held a hearing at which it determined it would suspend

Richard for the remainder of the season,51 also due, in part, to the fact that Richard had
previously slapped a referee in the face during another game.52
44

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=
Player& mem =P195803&list=ByName, www.HHOF.com (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
45

http://www.mauricerichard.org/Biography-english.html (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

46

Id.

47

Id.

48

Rocket Richard Riot Still Stirs Controversy, Emotion, THE WINDSOR STAR, Mar. 18, 1980.

49

Id.; see also Richard Goldstein, Hal Laycoe, 75, N.H.L. Players Whose High Stick Led to
Riot, N.Y. TIMES, May 2, 1998.
50

Great Moments In Hockey History: Rocket Richard Riot, Greatest Hockey Legends.com
(Mar. 17, 2013), http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2013/03/rocket-richard-riot.html.
51

Richard Goldstein, Hal Laycoe, 75, N.H.L. Players Whose High Stick Led to Riot, N.Y.
TIMES, May 2, 1998.
- 14 -

41.

In response, then NHL president Clarence Campbell received pleas for revocation

of Richard’s suspension, as well as death threats, from Montreal Canadian’s fans.53 During the
first game following the suspension, thousands of Montreal Canadian’s fans rioted at the ice
hockey arena before, during and after a game.54 “The Richard Riot” caused an estimated
$100,000 in property damage, 37 injuries and 100 arrests.55
42.

The NHL quickly inducted Richard into its “Hall of Fame” in 1961, the year after

Richard retired, waiving the customary three-year waiting period.56
C.

The NHL Fosters a Culture of “Enforcers” and “Goons”

43.

As the NHL continued to thrive in subsequent eras as a result of players like

Coutu, Cleghorn, and Richard, so did routine violence, including through players known as
“enforcers” or “goons.” An “enforcer” or “goon” is a player known for his fighting skills to
protect teammates and respond aggressively to physical or foul play.57
44.

For instance, Dave Schultz (“Schultz”) was known in the NHL as “The

Hammer.”58 Schultz played in the NHL from 1971 until 1980 on several different teams.59
52

WIKEPEDIA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Riot (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

53

See
www.hhof.com,
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Legends
Member.jsp?mem=p196108&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

54

The Richard Riot: An Introduction, http://www.mauricerichard.org/Videos/TheRichardRiot/
Riot-Intro.html (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

55

Id.

56

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196108
&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName (last visited Mar. 27, 2014)).
57

Alex Capstick, Are ice hockey “enforcers” the toughest guys in sport?, BBC NEWS
MAGAZINE, Jan. 18, 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16383129.
58

DAVE SCHULTZ, THE HAMMER: CONFESSIONS
ed. 1981).

OF A

- 15 -

HOCKEY ENFORCER (Summit Books 1st

Schultz was a member of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, who were known as the “Broad Street
Bullies,” and who were renowned for their punishing physical play.60 Schultz has the record for
the most penalty minutes in a single season, at 472.61 Schultz was in a total of 158 fights in NHL
games.62 Schultz is famously quoted, after winning the Stanley Cup in 1974, as stating:
“I’m more valuable in the penalty box than I am sitting on the bench . . . I’m not
gonna stop fighting even if I could. It’s one of my assets and if it helps win
games I’m going to keep fighting.”63
45.

On April 6, 2014, there was a bench-clearing brawl during a charity ice hockey

game between the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) and the New York City Fire
Department at the NHL’s New York Islanders rink, as depicted below:

59

Players: Dave Schultz, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8451245 (last
visited Mar. 28, 2014).

60

See, e.g., James Christie, Former Bully Repents Past, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Nov. 12, 1981 (stating that Schultz’s “chief business was the restyling of faces that got in the
way of Philadelphia Flyers” and “if anyone is in a position to understand what violence can do to
individuals and to hockey, it is Schultz”).
61

Most Penalty Minutes in an NHL Season, Guinness Book of World Records,
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-4000/most-penalty-minutes-in-an-nhl-season/
(last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

62

Dave Schultz, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1054 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
63

WILLIAM R. MCMURTRY, INVESTIGATION AND INQUIRY INTO VIOLENCE IN AMATEUR
HOCKEY, Chap. 35 (AUG. 21, 1974), https://archive.org/details/investigatamock00onta.
- 16 -

64

46.

One of the NYPD spectators invoked Schultz’s legacy in commenting on the fight

to the New York Post:
“It was reminiscent of the old-time Rangers-Flyers games in the mid-’70s,”
quipped an NYPD cop who was at the game at the Nassau Coliseum. “I was
waiting for [legendary Philadelphia Flyers enforcer] Dave Schultz to come out on
the ice.”65
47.

Randy Holt (“Holt”) was a notable enforcer.66 Holt played in the NHL from 1974

until 1984.67 Holt amassed 67 penalty minutes in one single game playing for the Los Angeles
Kings against the Philadelphia Flyers.68 Holt was in a total of 72 fights in NHL games.69
64

Bench Clearing brawl at FDNY NYPD Hockey Game, Youtube.com, April 6, 2014,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYojW73V50 (last visited Apr. 8, 2014).

65

Larry Celona and David K. Li, NYC Cops, firemen get in massive brawl at charity hockey
game, N.Y. Post, April 6, 2014, http://nypost.com/2014/04/06/nypd-fdny-get-into-massivebrawl-at-charity-hockey-game/ (last visited Apr. 8, 2014).

66

FLOYD CONNER, HOCKEY’S MOST WANTED: THE TOP 10 BOOK
BRUISING GOONS AND ICE ODDITIES 218 (Potomac Books, Inc. 2002).
67

WICKED SLAPSHOTS,

Players: Dave Schultz, supra.

68

OF

CONNER, supra 218.

69

Randy Holt, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/10807 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 17 -

48.

Like Cleghorn, Dino Ciccarelli (“Ciccarelli”), an NHL player with the Minnesota

North Stars, was criminally prosecuted for his on-ice misconduct in 1988.70 During a game
against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ciccarelli attacked a Maple Leafs player with his stick.71
Ciccarelli was subsequently sentenced to one day in jail and $1,000 in fines.72 Ciccarelli was in
a total of 21 fights in NHL games.73 In 2010, the NHL inducted Ciccarelli into its “Hall of
Fame,” just as it has done with violent players Cleghorn and Richard.
49.

Like Cleghorn and Ciccarelli, NHL player Marty McSorley (“McSorley”) was

also criminally prosecuted for his misconduct on the ice.

In 2000, McSorley attacked an

opposing NHL player with his stick, with three seconds left in the game.74 The player fell on his
head, lost consciousness, and suffered a concussion.75
convicted McSorley of assault with a weapon.76

Canadian authorities charged and

McSorley was sentenced to 18 months’

probation.77 The NHL only suspended McSorley for a year.78

The judge presiding over the

McSorley case stated, “‘Perhaps part of the message may be that the NHL, in particular, has to
70

Very
Major
Penalty,
CNN
SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED
(Oct.
7,
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2000/10/06/mcsorley_assault_ap/.
71

Id.

72

2005),

Id.

73

Dino Ciccarelli, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1041 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).

74

NHL Player Found Guilty of Assault,
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100318.

75

(Oct.

6,

2000),

Id.

77

NEWS

Very Major Penalty, supra.

76

ABC

Id.

78

McSorley Suspended From NHL Until Feb., ABC NEWS (Nov.
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100192&page=1#.T81KPMWuXh4).
- 18 -

7,

2001),

do some internal soul-searching and ask itself: How much are we selling hockey and how much
are we selling violence?’”79 McSorley was in a total of 225 fights in NHL games.80
50.

In 1981, there was a violent fight between NHL players Christopher Nilan

(“Nilan”) and Paul Baxter (“Baxter”), where Nilan threw a puck at Baxter’s head after it was
over.81 In commenting on the altercation, a media outlet quoted Nilan’s teammate as noting,
“‘Already this year, we’ve had three eye injuries on the team due to high sticks.’”82 Nilan was in
a total of 251 fights in NHL games.83 Baxter was in a total of 69 fights in NHL games.84
51.

The media coverage of violence in the NHL is legion, including throughout the

modern hockey era.85

79

Rod Mickleburgh, Judge’s Warning Rejected by NHL; McSorley Convicted, Hockey
Authorities Told to Clean Up Act, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Oct 7, 2000, at A1.
80

Marty McSorley, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/568 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
81

James Christie, Puck Throwing Points to Need for Stiffer NHL Action, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA), Nov. 23, 1981.
82

Id.

83

Christopher Nilan, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/4163(last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
84

Paul Baxter, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/10057 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
85

See, e.g., Jeff Jacobs, Violence in NHL Is Getting Worse Despite Penalties, THE MIAMI
HERALD, Nov. 2, 1987 (discussing the continuing violence in the NHL and pointing out recent
fights); Nolan thought Simon would only miss 12 games, ESPN (Mar. 12, 2007),
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2796469; William Houston, Wings Want NHL to
Act on Higgins Incident, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Apr. 1, 1983; James Christie, Sports
Violence: Controversial Can of Worms, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Apr. 28, 1984; Allen
Abel, Statistics Prove Hockey is Lunacy, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Nov. 14, 1977.
- 19 -

D.

The NHL Is Now Inextricably Linked to Extreme Violence

52.

Not surprisingly, popular culture has reflected the fused association between

extreme violence and the NHL in many different media.
1.
53.

Documentary Depictions of Extreme Violence

In 2010, filmmaker George Roy of HBO Sports made a documentary film, Broad

Street Bullies, which was about the Philadelphia Flyers team during the Schultz era.86 The film
was narrated by Tony Award-winning actor Liev Schreiber and begins with the statements:
In any great drama, you need heroes and villains. The Flyers are both. . . . This is
going to be a wild show. . . . Blood being spilt. Actual blood. . . . It’s a badge of
honor to be a goon. . . . We loved to be hated. . . . We don’t have to apologize to
nobody. 87
54.

Simultaneously, the film flashes images of Philadelphia Flyers fighting, as well as

these images:

86

BROAD STREET BULLIES (HBO 2010).

87

Id.
- 20 -

55.

In 2011, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney released a

documentary about Nilan’s career, The Last Gladiators.88 While in the NHL, Nilan was known
as “Knuckles,”89 as Nilan was in 251 fights in NHL games. Nilan played in the NHL from 1979
until 1992.90 Nilan was a Stanley Cup champion in 198691 and an NHL all-star in 1991.92 The
Last Gladiators portrays Nilan’s life, including his violent career in the NHL, and includes
images like:
88

THE LAST GLADIATORS (Jigsaw Prods. 2011).

89

Id.

90

Players: Chris Nilan, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8449883#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
91

Id.

92

Id.
- 21 -

56.

In the film, Nilan is quoted as lamenting about his exit from the NHL, “I was sad

when it was over . . . . I was trying to get through a day without hurting any other person.”93
2.
57.

Abstract and Other Media Depictions of Extreme Violence

In 1988, The Wall Street Journal ran an article recounting lines from the play,

Welcome to the NHL, which was presented by the Alberta Theater Project as part of the
festivities for the 1988 Winter Olympic games in Calgary.94 In one of the lines, the protagonist

93

THE LAST GLADIATORS (Jigsaw Prods. 2011) – Official Trailer, youtube.com,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv9UAmA0RJA.
94

Frederick C. Klein, Winter Olympics: Going for the Goldeneye, Finding Snow Art, WALL S.
J., Feb. 23, 1988.
- 22 -

who is sent off to learn hockey states, “‘I am against violence! It is against my principles!’”95
The coach responds, “‘This isn’t violence. This is sport.’”96
58.

There is a glut of hockey dramas and comedies that use violence as their central

thesis for the respective protagonists overcoming adversity during the game.97 Notably, in
Mystery, Alaska,98 Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe leads a makeshift team of
hockey players from an obscure Alaska town in an unlikely and violent hockey game against the
NHL’s New York Rangers, as depicted by one screenshot from the movie trailer:

59.

In Mystery, Alaska, Russell Crowe was the town sheriff and the team captain.99

The very next year, the film Gladiator was released also starring Russell Crowe, which won the

95

Id.

96

Id.

97

Compare, e.g., GOON (Magnet 2011); THE ROCKET (Cinémaginaire, Inc. 2005);
YOUNGBLOOD (United Artists 1986); SLAP SHOT (Kings Road Entm’t 1977).
98

MYSTERY, ALASKA (Hollywood Pictures 1999).

99

Id.
- 23 -

Best Picture Academy Award.100 Russell Crowe won the Best Actor Academy Award for his
role in Gladiator as a bloodied Roman war veteran turned slave, General Maximus Decimus
Meridius.101 In Gladiator’s opening scenes, Russell Crowe leads a Roman platoon in a battle
against Nordic warriors. The Nordic warriors open their attack by sending Crowe a Roman
soldier’s decapitated body on a horse, while holding up the soldier’s head. Ice hockey has some
of its roots in Nordic tradition.102
60.

In similar fashion, media has created memes associating violence with the NHL

by reiterating infamous statements:
“‘He scored hockey by the number of fights. If you lost seven to one, but won
five fights, he figured you won the game.’”103
“There are rough players and there are dirty players. I’m rough and dirty.”104
“‘Here’s Wellwood,’ ‘[s]even-and-oh in the faceoffs, plus-two, two assists,
played 20 minutes, drew eight minutes on the power play, lost a tooth and a pint
of blood. What a guy.’”105
“If you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you can’t beat ‘em on the ice.”106
“‘A goal, an assist and a fight.’”107
100

GLADIATOR (Dreamworks SKG 2000).

101

Id.

102

Id.

103

Clint Haggart, Battalion looking for win in spitfire rematch, NORTH BAY NIPISSING NEWS
(Feb. 13, 2014), http://www.northbaynipissing.com/sports-story/4367560-battalion-looking-forwin-in-spitfire-rematch/.
104

Laurel Zeisler, Historical Dictionary of Ice Hockey, 211 (2013).

105

Mike Halford, et al, Of Supple Skin, Mangled Names and Playoff Beards, THE PROVINCE
(May 1, 2009), http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=f08aded2-835d48fe-b926-40c346ffbeeb.
106

Kelly McParland, The lines of Conn Smythe: From the Battlefield to Maple Leaf Gardens: A
Hockey Icon’s Story, Ch. 3, p. 2 (2011).
- 24 -

61.

In the classic horror film, Friday the 13th Part 3, the evil villain dons an ice

hockey goalie’s mask.108
62.

Sports Illustrated magazine alone portrayed and documented the NHL’s extreme

violence several times, including two pictures of Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers
playing with missing teeth, and players physically hitting each other with their sticks and bodies
while playing the game.109
E.

The NHL Uses Its Extreme Violence as a Commodity to Generate
Billions of Dollars

63.

The NHL has expressly acknowledged that it has capitalized on violence. In

1988, The Miami Herald quoted then NHL President John Zeigler as stating, “‘Violence will
always be with us in hockey.’”110 Similarly, in an interview the following year with The Wall
Street Journal, Zeigler was quoted as stating as follows in response to the suggestion that the
NHL end violence:
“If you did that, you wouldn’t be commissioner for long,” said he. “The view of
the 21 people who own the teams, and employ me, is that fighting is an acceptable
outlet for the emotions that build up during play. Until they agree otherwise, it’s
107

Trent Reinsmith, 50 Greatest Hockey Quotes of All Time, BLEACHER REPORT (Jan. 25, 2011),
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/563354-50-greatest-hockey-quotes-of-all-time#articles/
563354-50-greatest-hockey-quotes-of-all-time/page/45.
108

See Richard Brooker, first to don “Friday the 13th” hockey mask, dies, MSN News (Apr. 9,
2013),
http://news.msn.com/obits/richard-brooker-first-to-don-friday-the-13th-hockey-maskdies.
109

Bobby Clarke, Fiery Leader of the Flyers SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (Feb. 23, 1976),
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8473/index.htm (last visited Mar. 28, 2014);
Mayhem
on
the
Ice
SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED
(May
6,
1974),
http://www.sicovers.com/Product.aspx?pid=1704 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014); The Best SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED (June 10, 2013), http://www.sicovers.com/Product.aspx?pid=2644 (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).
110

Jerry Crowe, NHL President Ziegler Denies Problems of League, THE MIAMI HERALD,
May 16, 1988.
- 25 -

here to stay.” He added: “The main question about fighting is, ‘Does the
customer accept it?’ The answer, at present, seems to be yes.”111
64.

In a similar vein, in a Sports Illustrated article entitled Hockey? Call It Sockey:

Hockey’s designated hit men are making a travesty of the game. It’s high time to get rid of all the
goons, the author noted how profitable violence was for the NHL:
[M]any NHL executives are scared to death that if fighting were banned from
hockey, thousands of season-ticket holders who get their jollies from watching
grown men in short pants in a quasi-legal, bare- knuckle battle would bail out on
the spot. Violence sells. That’s not news, so does sex. If that’s what’s important,
why doesn’t the league hire a bunch of bikini-clad bimbos to skate around behind
the Zambonis holding up placards showing each team’s penalty totals?112
65.

Former NHL President Clarence Campbell has expressly acknowledged as

follows regarding the NHL:
[I]t is the business of conducting the sport in a manner that will induce or be
conducive to the support of it at the box office . . . . Show business, we are in the
entertainment business and that can never be ignored. We must put on a spectacle
that will attract people.113
66.

A famous critic of the violence in the NHL, William McMurtry (“McMurtry”), a

Canadian lawyer and brother of Chief Justice of Ontario R. Roy McMurtry,114 has reported:
In talking to numerous players in the NHL and WHA, they all feel that most
advertising and selling of the game is over-emphasizing the fighting and brawling
at the expense of educating the crowds about the skill and finesse. This past
season the advertising for the NBC Game of the Week, showed a film clip of a

111

Frederick Klein, On Sports: Less Brawl, More Teams, WALL S. J., Nov. 17, 1989.

112

E.M Swift, Hockey? Call It Sockey: Hockey’s designated hit men are making a travesty of
the game. It’s high time to get rid of all the goons, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Feb. 17, 1986.
113

McMurtry, supra, at 18.

114

Helen Burnett, McMurty Known for Taking on Impossible Cases, LAW TIMES (Feb. 26,
2007),
http://www.lawtimesnews.com/200702261400/headline-news/mcmurtry-known-fortaking-on-impossible-cases.
- 26 -

hockey fight.
fashion?115
67.

Can you conceive of any other sport promoting itself in this

McMurtry and Campbell engaged in heated dialogue, during a public

investigation into violence in the NHL.116 In one exchange, Campbell acknowledged the type of
pressure facing players to fight:
McMurtry: And right now it is extremely difficult for the player who is being
provoked and being pushed to turn his back and appear to be running. The
pressure of his own team-mates and from the many millions of fans make it an
almost impossibility for him to do that.
Campbell: No, I don’t accept that.
McMurtry: Perhaps you should talk to the players sometimes, sir.
Campbell: Okay.
McMurtry: Because they will tell you. I have talked to many of them on this,
and they do not want to come and give evidence for obvious reasons. They feel it
would prejudice their career with their superiors. It would prejudice what would
happen to them on the ice if they were to say publicly they don’t like fighting and
they don’t like being involved in fighting. Yet they have no alternative, because if
they turn their back and appear to be frightened, they will not only be put on the
bench but run out of hockey, when they are on the ice . . .
Campbell: Disastrous.
*

*

*

McMurtry: To have the sanction there of being embarrassed and ridiculed and to
be discussed among your peers and your coach and many millions of fans, that is
not one of the most difficult decisions in the world for a person, to turn his back
and not fight?
Campbell: I didn’t say it wasn’t difficult. I said it is an alternative. (Italics in
original.)
McMurtry: Then if you will agree it is a very difficult alternative, it is
apparently what you call the free alternative. (Italics in original.)

115

McMurtry, supra, at 18.

116

Id. at 19-21.
- 27 -

Campbell: All right. (Italics in original)
McMurtry: There is incredible pressure and duress on that player not to turn his
back – is that not true?
Campbell: I don’t think it is as great as you say, but it is real. (Italics in
original.)
McMurtry: There is a real pressure and duress on that player to stand his ground
and to fight?
Campbell: I think so, yes, yes. (Italics in original.)117
68.

The violent dynamic of the NHL is unique to the NHL.

Other elite and

professional ice hockey leagues have a different style of play, including Olympic and European
ice hockey. The difference is attributable to the dimensions of the ice rink the NHL uses,118 as
well as the actual rules of the game themselves.119 Indeed, McMurtry and Campbell also
engaged in a heated exchange on how the NHL’s rules induce a violent style of play:
McMurtry: All right. Let us talk about that situation. If the whistle blows and
clearly play is stopped and one player physically attempts to provoke or
intimidate another player, the player who is being intimidated or provoked, what
are his alternatives?
Campbell: It all depends on his circumstance. There are a lot of factors that enter
into it. In the first place he has to evaluate his own capability opposite the other
party. That is one. (Italics in original.)
McMurtry: What does that mean? (Italics in original.)
Campbell: His physical capability to respond in kind. (Italics in original.)
117

Id. at 19-20.

118

David Shoalts, Shanahan Advocate Larger Ice Surfaces Narrow Confines Cause Injuries,
Star Says, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec. 12, 1996, at C13; Smith: Enlarging the Crease
Could Cut Hockey Violence, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Feb. 2, 1983.

119

James Christie, Taking Risks On the Job, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Mar. 18, 1981
(discussing how NHL owners passed up the opportunity to rid hockey of fighting around 1976);
James Christie, Viewpoint NHL Stickhandles Around Problem, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA), June 12, 1980 (discussing how the NHL recently affirmed that one-on-one fighting is
permitted in the game).
- 28 -

McMurtry: In other words he has to make an assessment as to whether he can
hold his own with this player in a fight? (Italics in original.)
Campbell: I think he has to keep that in mind all the time. (Italics in original.)
McMurtry: He has to keep that in mind all the time? (Italics in original.)
Campbell: Yes. (Italics in original.)
McMurtry: All right, continue.
Campbell: So if he decides that he would sooner get himself an equivalent
penalty he can respond in kind, if he wishes.
McMurtry: Right.
Campbell: Or if he decides that it would be smarter for him to abstain and let the
other fellow take the penalty, that is great; that is his choice.
McMurtry: You just told me he would not have a penalty. (Italics in original.)
Campbell: I didn’t say that at all. I said it might not be an infraction of a
character that would warrant either a game misconduct or a misconduct penalty,
either one, for inciting, I don’t know. That is a matter of judgment on the part of
the officials. And the officials, believe me, are men who have had quite a lifetime
of experience in this field. (Italics in original.)
McMurtry: Mr. Campbell, I don't pretend to be as knowledgeable about the
NHL as you are, but I have watched NHL games for at least 25 years and I have
never seen that rule called.
Campbell: Well, let me put it this way: it is not surprising to me that you have
not. It is a rule . . .(Italics in original.)120
69.

Similarly, in a Congressional hearing, then NHL President John Zeigler and

Representative Henry J. Hyde entered into a colloquy explaining why the NHL is so violent
compared to Olympic hockey:
Hyde: You have stated that you subscribe to the theory that roughness is a basic
part of the game, and that occasional fights occur as an outlet for pent-up
emotions. How do you reconcile this with the fact that the Olympic hockey
games, which were magnificent, were played without such an outlet?

120

McMurtry, supra, at 20-21.
- 29 -

Ziegler: First of all, there were some outlets, if you will examine, when there
were confrontations and the outlets were this gesturing when they came together,
and there were a number. Second, they were playing on a bigger ice surface, and
you do not have the intensity of competition on a bigger ice surface. You have
much more time to execute. You play a different game. You do not use the
boards as much as part of defense and offense.121
F.

The NHL Has Known that Its Violent Construct Has Created and
Will Continue to Create Imminent Risks of Head Trauma to NHL
Players Which Result in Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health
Effects
1.

70.

The Concussion Problem Is Endemic to the NHL

According to NHL.com, a search for the term “concussion” generates 6,807

“news” articles as of April 9, 2014.
71.

In 1998, a Canadian news article documented how frequent concussions are for

NHL players, stating:
Concussions have become an epidemic in the NHL over the past several years,
striking everyone from marquee players to fourth-line checkers. The rash of
concussions has led the NHL to try to improve prevention and diagnosis of
concussions and has awakened many players and coaches.
*

*

*

According to statistics provided by the NHL, 60 players had concussions last
season during the regular season and the playoffs. As of early February this
season, 56 players already had received concussions.122
72.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons defines a concussion as a

clinical syndrome characterized by an immediate and transient alteration in brain function,

121

Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary House of
Representatives on H.R. 7903: Excessive Violence in Professional Sports, 9th Cong. 134-163
(1980).
122

Maureen Delany, NHL struggles with efforts to prevent concussions Bell Ringers / They don’t
just make players see stars. They can end a season, or even a career, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA), Mar. 24, 1998, at S11.
- 30 -

including an alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical
force or trauma.
73.

The injury generally occurs when the head either accelerates rapidly and then is

stopped, or is rotated rapidly. The results frequently include, among other things, confusion,
blurred vision, memory loss, nausea, and sometimes unconsciousness.
74.

Medical evidence has shown that symptoms of a concussion can reappear hours or

days after the injury, indicating that the injured party has not healed from the initial blow.
75.

According to neurologists, once a person suffers a concussion, the person is up to

four (4) times more likely to sustain a second one. Additionally, after suffering even a single
concussion, a lesser blow may cause the injury, and the injured person requires more time to
recover.
76.

Clinical and neuropathological studies by some of the nation’s foremost experts

have demonstrated that multiple concussions sustained during an NHL player’s career can cause
severe cognitive problems such as depression and early-onset dementia.
77.

Repeated head trauma can also result in so-called “Second Impact Syndrome,” in

which re-injury to a person who has already suffered a concussion triggers swelling that the skull
cannot accommodate.
78.

Repeated instances of head trauma also frequently lead to Chronic Traumatic

Encephalopathy (“CTE”), a progressive degenerative disease of the brain.
79.

CTE involves the build-up of toxic proteins in the brain’s neurons. This build-up

result in a condition whereby signals sent from one cell to thousands of connecting cells in
various parts of the brain are not received, leading to abnormal and diminished brain function.

- 31 -

80.

CTE is found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive concussions.

Conclusive studies have shown this condition to be prevalent in retired professional hockey
players who have a history of head injury.
81.

This head trauma, which includes multiple concussions, triggers progressive

degeneration of the brain tissue. These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even
decades after the last concussion or the end of active athletic involvement.

The brain

degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, paranoia, impulsecontrol problems, aggression, depression, and eventually progressive dementia.
82.

In a study at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic

Encephalopathy and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, in collaboration with the
Sports Legacy Institute, neuropathologists confirmed CTE in four deceased NHL players who
died after exhibiting signs of degenerative brain disease.
83.

There are many other documented examples of well-known players who have

suffered and continue to suffer head trauma as a result of the violence encouraged and created by
the NHL, as described herein.
2.
84.

Scientists Warn Against the Concussion Problem While the
NHL Continues Profiting from Extreme Violence

For almost a century, while unnecessary violence, including brutal fighting, has

permeated NHL games, the NHL has been on notice that multiple blows to the head can lead to
long-term brain injury, including, but not limited to, memory loss, dementia, depression, and
CTE and its related symptoms. There have been legions of studies throughout the eras proving
these negative health consequences.
85.

CTE was first addressed in a 1928 article written by pathologist Harrison

Martland, discussing “Punch Drunk” syndrome in a group of athletes exposed to repetitive brain
- 32 -

trauma (the “Martland study”). The article was published in The Journal of the American
Medical Association (“JAMA”).123
86.

The Martland study was the first to link sub-concussive blows and “mild

concussions” to degenerative brain disease.

There were many subsequent other studies

published regarding the dangers of athletic head trauma.
87.

For example, in 1937, the U.S. Naval Medicine Bulletin published a paper titled

Dementia Puglilistica.124 In 1941, JAMA published an article titled The Medical Aspect of
Boxing.125 In 1952, JAMA published a study of encephalopathic changes in those suffering
repeated blows to the head, focusing on professional boxers.126 That same year, an article
published in the New England Journal of Medicine recommended a three-strike rule for
concussions in football (i.e., recommending that players cease to play football after receiving
their third concussion).
88.

In 1956, the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry published a

paper titled Diffuse Degeneration of the Cerebral White Matter in Severe Dementia Following
Head Injury.127 In 1959, the Journal of Mental Science published a paper titled Observations on

123

Harrison S. Martland, M.D., Punch Drunk, 91 JAMA 1103 (1928).

124

J. A. Millspaugh, Dementia Pugilistica, 35 U.S. NAVAL MED. BULLETIN 297 (1937).

125

Ernst Joki, M.D., The Medical Aspect of Boxing, 117 JAMA 25 (1941)

126

Ewald W. Busse, M.D., Albert J. Silverman, M.D., Electroencephalographic Changes in
Professional Boxers, 149 JAMA 1522 (1952).
127

Sabina J. Strich, Diffuse Degeneration of the Cerebral White Matter in Severe Dementia
Following Head Injury, 19 J. NEUROL., NEUROSURG. AND PSYCHIATRY 163 (1956).
- 33 -

the Pathology of Insidious Dementia Following Head Injury.128 In 1959, the Canadian Medical
Association Journal published a study titled Puck Aneurysm, in which it stated:
Although it is well known that to be struck in the head by a hockey puck cannot
be an entirely benign event, it is perhaps insufficiently appreciated that a
regulation hockey puck weights 165 grams and may travel at a velocity in excess
of 120 feet per second. When such a missile strikes the head, delayed as well as
immediate sequelae cannot be wholly unexpected. In the cases reported here, it
may be felt that the patients got off lightly, but on the other hand, it can be
pointed out that in both instances the injuries could have been prevented by the
wearing of a suitably designed protective helmet.129
89.

In 1962, JAMA published an article titled Protection of the Head and Neck in

Sports, in which it concluded, “Helmets for use in one sport might not be satisfactory for
another. Individual design of the helmet for each sport is mandatory if maximum protection is to
be obtained.”130

In 1966, the Journal of Neurology published a paper titled Concussion

Amnesia.131 In 1968, the Journal of Neurochirurgia published a paper titled Brains of Boxers.132
In 1968, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study titled Severe Brain Injury
and Death Following Minor Hockey Accidents: The Effectiveness of the “Safety Helmets” of
Amateur Hockey Players. The study noted the death of NHL player Bill Masterton resulting
from head trauma he suffered during an NHL game.133
128

J.A.N. Corsellis, JB Brierley, Observations on the Pathology of Insidious Dementia
Following Head Injury, 105 J. MENTAL SCI. 714(1959).

129

J.S. Campbell, M.D., Pierre Fournier, M.D., D.P. Hill, M.D., Puck Aneurysm, 82 CAN. MED.
ASS’N J. 923 (1959).
130

ES Gurdjian, M.D., HR Lissner, M.S., LM Patrick, M.S., Protection of the Head and Neck in
Sports, 182 JAMA 509 (1962).
131

C. Miller Fisher, Concussion amnesia, 16 NEUROLOGY 826 (1966).

132

EE Payne, Brains of boxers, 5 NEUROCHIRURGIA 173 (1968).

133

John F. Fekete, M.D., Severe Brain Injury and Death Following Minor Hockey Accidents, 99
CAN. MED. ASS’N J. 99 (1968) 1234.
- 34 -

90.

The article then concluded:

The ideal protective hockey helmet, therefore, should be able to protect the
players against blows and falls. The shell and the suspension apparatus of the
helmets should be able to cushion enough of the impact of falls and blows to
reduce the transmitted accelerating or decelerating velocity of the head blow by
the 30 ft. per second danger threshold found by White and associates, and below
the 425 lbs per sq. in. pressure found by Gurdjian. Apparently 30 ft. per second is
the upper limit of impact velocity which the human brain can suffer without
experiencing cerebral concussion. Likewise, 425 lbs. per sq. in. is the
approximate upper limit of pressure which the human skull can withstand without
fracture.134
91.

In 1969, JAMA published an article, titled Ice Hockey Can be Safer, noting the

imminent risk of head trauma to ice hockey players.135 The article stated:
Physicians have played some role in making the wearing of protective helmets
compulsory in amateur hockey on this continent. But we must not presume that
this regulation of itself can eliminate serious head injury or death. Patently, not
all the helmets in use are sufficient. We must encourage, support, or initiate
research to produce more effective equipment.136

134

Id. at 1238.

135

Ice Hockey Can be Safer, 207 JAMA 1706 (1969).

136

Id.
- 35 -

92.

In 1969, the British Journal of Psychiatry published a paper titled, Organic

Psychosyndromes due to Boxing.137 In 1969, Anthony Roberts published a study titled Brain
Damage in Boxers: A study of the prevalence of traumatic encephalopathy among exprofessional boxers.138
93.

In 1970, The Lancet published a paper titled Retrograde Memory Immediately

After Concussion.139 In 1970, Medical & Science in Sports published an article titled The
effectiveness of a special ice hockey helmet to reduce head injury in collegiate intramural
hockey.140
94.

In 1973, a disabling and sometimes deadly condition involving the second impact

concussion occurring before symptoms of a first concussion was described by R.C. Schneider.
This later was coined the “Second Impact Syndrome” in 1984. In 1973, Psychology Medicine
published a study titled The Aftermath of Boxing.141 In 1974, the Journal of Brain published a
paper titled, Cerebral Concussion and Traumatic Unconsciousness: Correlation of experimental

137

John Johnson M.D., M.R.C.P.E., D.P.M., Organic Psychosyndrome due to Boxing, 115 THE
BRIT. J. PSYCHIATRY 45 (1969).
138

ANTHONY HERBERS ROBERTS, BRAIN DAMAGE IN BOXERS: A STUDY OF THE PREVALENCE OF
TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY AMONG EX-PROFESSIONAL BOXERS, London: Pitman Med. &

Scientific Publ’g Co., Ltd., 1969.
139

PR Yarnell, S Lynch, Retrograde Memory Immediately After Concussion, 295 THE LANCET
863 (1970).
140

Jess F. Kraus, Bruce D. Andersonm, C.E. Mueller, The effectiveness of a special ice hockey
helmet to reduce head injury in collegiate intramural hockey, 2 MED. & SCI. IN SPORTS 162
(1970).

141

J.A.N. Corsellis, CJ Bruton, D Freeman-Browne, The Aftermath of Boxing, 3
PSYCHOLOGICAL MED. 270 (1973).
- 36 -

and clinical observations of blunt head injuries.142 In 1974, The Lancet published a study titled
Traumatic Encephalopathy in a Young Boxer.143 That same year, The Lancet also published a
study titled, Delayed Recovery of Intellectual Function After Minor Head Injury.144 In 1975, The
Lancet published an article titled Cumulative Effect of Concussion.145 In 1975, the Minerva
Medical Journal published an article titled Ice Hockey Accidents, discussing, inter alia,
concussions.146 In 1978, Aging published a study titled Posttraumatic Dementia.147 The next
year, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study titled Association Football
Injuries to the Brain: A Preliminary Report.148
95.

In 1980, the Canadian Journal of Applied Sports Science published an article

titled, Puck Impact Response of Ice Hockey Face Masks.149
96.

In sum, as the NHL extracted vast sums of money by selling its violent

commodity, numerous studies were published in scores of peer-reviewed journals warning of the

142

AK Ommaya, TA Gennarelli, Cerebral Concussion and Traumatic Unconsciousness:
Correlation of Experimental and Clinical Observations of Blunt Head Injuries, 97 BRAIN 633
(1974).

143

PK Harvey, JN Davis, Traumatic Encephalopathy in a Young Boxer, 2 THE LANCET 928
(1974).
144

D Gronwall, P Wrightson, Delayed Recovery of Intellectual Function After Minor Head
Injury, 304 THE LANCET 605 (1974).
145

D Gronwall, P Wrightson., Cumulative Effect of Concussion, 306 THE LANCET 995 (1975).

146

P Muller, K Biener, Ice Hockey Accidents, 66 MINERVA MED. 1325 (1975).

147

J.A.N. Corsellis, Posttraumatic dementia, 7 AGING 125 (1978).

148

A Tysvaer, O Storli, Association Football Injuries to the Brain: A Preliminary Report, 15
BRIT. J. OF SPORTS MED. 163 (1981).

149

RW Nornam, PJ Bishop, MR Pierrynowski, Puck impact response of ice hockey face masks,
5 CAN. J. APPLIED SPORT SCI. 208 (1980).
- 37 -

dangers of single concussions, multiple concussions, and contact sports-related head trauma from
multiple concussions. These studies collectively and conclusively established that:
(a)

repetitive head trauma in contact sports has dangerous long-term effects

(b)

post-mortem evidence of CTE was present in numerous cases of boxers

on the brain;

and contact-sport athletes;
(c)

there is a relationship between neurologic pathology and the length of the

careers of athletes who play contact sports;
(d)

immediate retrograde memory issues occur following concussions;

(e)

mild head injury requires recovery time without risk of subjection to

(f)

head trauma is linked to dementia; and

(g)

an athlete who suffers a concussion requires significant rest before being

further injury;

subjected to further contact.
97.

At the end of 1991, the Colorado Medical Society published concussion research

that they had been working on since the death of a high school student from second impact
syndrome.

The paper outlined clear guidelines on the appropriate response to suspected

concussions.
98.

According to the Colorado Medical Society guidelines, a Grade I concussion

consists of confusion only, Grade II includes confusion and post-traumatic amnesia, and Grades
III and IV involve a loss of consciousness. By these guidelines, an athlete who has suffered a
concussion may return to sports after having been free of symptoms, both at rest and during
exercise, as follows:

- 38 -

(a)

Grade I - first concussion: 15 minutes; second concussion: one week.

(b)

Grade II - first concussion: one week; second concussion: two weeks (with

physician approval).
(c)

Grade IIIa (unconscious for seconds) - first concussion: 1 month; second

concussion: six months (with physician approval).
(d)

Grade IIIb (unconscious for minutes) - first concussion: six months;

second concussion: one year (with physician approval).
99.

In response to the publication of the Colorado Medical Society guidelines, the

NCAA and high school teams almost immediately adopted the new, stricter guidelines on how to
care for injured players.
100.

In 2000, the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine published an article titled Risk of

Head and Neck Injuries in Ice Hockey with Full Face Shields or Half Face Shields.
101.

In 2001, The International Ice Hockey Federation, in partnership with the

Federation Internationale de Football Association Medical Assessment and Research Center and
the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission, organized the first International
Symposium on Concussion in Sport, and convened in Vienna.
102.

Faced with the increasing incidence of concussions and head injuries in ice

hockey and other sports, the International Symposium on Concussion in Sport gathered the
leading medical experts from all parts of the world and from a wide sampling of different sports,
experienced in dealing with sports-related head injuries. The objective of the symposium was to
understand, as completely as possible, what actually takes place when severe blows to the head
occur, with the goal of eliminating concussions in all sports.

- 39 -

103.

One of the papers presented at the first International Symposium on Concussion

in Sport 2001, titled Procedures After Minor Traumatic Brain Injury mTBI In Ice Hockey to
Prevent Neurological Sequelae, noted that, during the 15 years preceding the symposium, the
proportion of mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury) to the overall number of injuries in the sport of
ice hockey generally increased from 2% to 20%, and in the NHL specifically, increased from 2%
in the 1989-1990 season to 8% in 1999-2001 seasons. The authors recommended that any
confused player with or without amnesia should be taken off the ice and not be permitted to play
again for at least 24 hours.
104.

In 2004, the International Symposium on Concussion in Sport reconvened in

Prague with the aim of providing recommendations for the improvement of the safety and health
of athletes who suffer concussive injuries in ice hockey, rugby, football, and other sports based
on the most up-to-date research. These experts recommended that a player never be returned to
play while symptomatic, and coined the phrase, “when in doubt, sit them out.”
105.

In 2004, the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine published an article titled Head

Injuries Presenting to Emergency Departments in the United States From 1990 to 1999 for Ice
Hockey, Soccer, and Football.150 The results of the study found:
There were an estimated 17,008 head injuries from ice hockey, 86,697 from
soccer, and 204,802 from football that presented to US EDs from 1990 to 1999.
The total number of concussions presenting to EDs in the United States over the
same period was estimated to be 4820 from ice hockey, 21,715 from soccer, and
68,861 from football. While the rates of head injuries, concussions, and combined
concussions/internal head injuries/skull fractures presenting to EDs per 10,000
players were not always statistically similar for all 3 sports in each year data were
available, they were usually comparable.151

150

J. Scott Delaney, Head injuries presenting to emergency departments in the United States
from 1990 to 1999 for ice hockey, soccer, and football, 14 CLINICAL J. SPORTS MED. 80 (2004.).
151

Id.
- 40 -

106.

The study concluded: “While the total numbers of head injuries, concussions, and

combined concussions/skull fractures/internal head injuries presenting to EDs in the United
States are different for ice hockey, soccer, and football for the years studied, the yearly rates for
these injuries are comparable among all 3 sports.”152
107.

In 2011, the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine published an article titled Sport-

Related Concussions: Knowledge Translation Among Minor Hockey Coaches.153 The study
investigated minor hockey coaches’ knowledge of sport-related concussions, and found that the
majority of coaches correctly recognized and understood the issues related to sports-related
concussions.154
108.

In 2012, the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine published an article titled

Eliminate Head-Checking in Ice Hockey.155 The article states:
Although findings have not been universally confirmed or accepted, 8 most
studies suggest that multiple concussions can lead to permanent functional
impairment as a result of cumulative brain trauma. In most head injuries occurring
during athletic activity, there is a significant acceleration, and diffuse damage
may occur even if the coverings of the brain are not broached . . .
We feel that the medical profession needs to raise awareness and to advocate for a
“no head-checking” rule, for stricter rule enforcement and more vigorous
penalization. The proposed “no head-checking rule” should be implemented in all
levels of hockey and in all locations where ice hockey is played. Everyone must
send the message that there is no role for the head as a target in ice hockey. We
simply must have a “no head-checking rule” in all ice hockey.156
152

Id.

153

Martin Mrazik, et al., Sport-related concussions: knowledge translation among minor hockey
coaches, 21 CLINICAL J. SPORTS MED. 315 (2011).

154

Id.

155

Tom Pashby, MD, et al., Eliminate Head-Checking in Ice Hockey, 11 CLINICAL J. SPORTS
MED. 211 (2001).
156

Id.
- 41 -

109.

In 2012, the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine published an article titled

Concussion reporting rates at the conclusion of an intercollegiate athletic career.157 The article
concludes:
Overall, 49.7% of all respondents (80/161) reported 1 acknowledged, unreported,
or potential concussion. The unreported rate was lower than previous high school
studies; however, the potentially unrecognized rate remains high and should be
clinically concerning. These findings suggest educational interventions targeting
collegiate student-athletes should remain and continue to focus on identifying
concussion symptoms and dispelling the common misconception that ‘bell
ringers’ and ‘dings’ are not concussions.158
3.
110.

The NHL’s Knowledge of Head Trauma Documented Through
Media Coverage of NHL Incidents

There are many general and specific reports documenting head trauma to NHL

players.
111.

For example, in 1978, a Canadian media outlet ran a story on NHL player Rick

Martin (“Martin”).159 Martin played in the NHL from 1971 until 1982.160 Martin was part of the
famous offensive line with fellow Quebec natives called the “French Connection.”161 In an NHL
game, opposing player Dave Farrish (“Farrish”) hooked Martin around his neck from behind and

157

Tracy Llewellyn, et al., Concussion reporting rates at the conclusion of an intercollegiate
athletic career, 24 CLINICAL J. SPORTS MED. 76 (2014).

158

Id.

159

Martin suffers concussion Injury revives NHL helmet debate, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA), Feb. 14, 1978.
160

Players: Richard Martin, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8449275#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

161

http://web.archive.org/web/20070810185553/http://www.sabresalumni.com/2001/connection.
php3.
- 42 -

kicked Martin’s feet out from under him.162 As a result of Farrish’s conduct, Martin hit his head
on the ice, was knocked unconscious and went into convulsions.163 The 1987 article comments
that Martin’s head trauma could have been mitigated had Martin been wearing a helmet, but
quotes then NHL president Zeigler with a countervailing remark, “‘The league’s position has
been and is right now that the wearing of a helmet is up to the individual.’”164 Despite his
conduct, Farrish played in the NHL until 1984 and since his retirement in 2005, has been part of
the coaching staff for the NHL.165
112.

In 1988, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story titled Hazardous Despite a Player’s

Death, Helmets Were Long Ignored.166 The article recounts deaths during NHL games and
criticized the NHL’s attitude toward player safety:
Although those incidents tended to create an immediate upsurge in the use of
helmets, players gradually discarded them. And the NHL stood pat.
In fact, while the NHL ignored the issue, most minor leagues and the governing
bodies for intercollegiate and international hockey mandated the use of helmets.
Finally, in 1979 - more than a decade after a death that a helmet almost certainly
would have prevented - the NHL made them mandatory. But the league
equivocated even then, ruling that any player who had signed a professional
contract before June 1 of that year had the option of refusing to wear one.

162

THE consequences of a career [...]; AND WHILE WE’RE AT IT (sport), The Daily Mail,
Jan. 9, 2012, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-276641492.html.
163

Id.

164

Martin suffers concussion Injury revives NHL helmet debate, THE GLOBE
(CANADA), Feb. 14, 1978.
165

Dave Farrish: Toronto Maple Leafs –
ice/page.htm?id=26051 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

166

Assistant

Coach,

AND

MAIL

http://www.nhl.com/

Frank Fitzpatrick, Hazardous Despite A Player’s Death, Helmets Were Long Ignored, THE
INQUIRER, (Jan. 13, 1988),
http://articles.philly.com/1988-01-13/sports/26283417_1_billmasterton-helmets-nhl.
- 43 -

Had it been so inclined, the NHL could have required helmets immediately in the
wake of the Masterton incident. The players, stunned by their colleague's death,
seemed to be leaning in that direction.
On Jan. 17, 1968, the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) issued a statement
urging the league to adopt mandatory helmet legislation.
Chicago's Stan Mikita, the league's MVP that year, and others began wearing
helmets immediately after the death. Blackhawks superstar Bobby Hull admitted
that vanity alone had kept him from using a helmet and said that he would
consider using one.
The NHL, though, remained unmoved.
Clarence Campbell, the imperious commissioner who refused to lend league
sanction to a benefit game for Masterton's family, went so far as to suggest that
the death was just one of those things.
“It was a routine accident that could have happened in any hockey game . . . a
normal hazard of the occupation,” Campbell said in defense of NHL policy.
“(Helmets) are optional now, and we think that is the best method of dealing with
it.”
*

*

*

Callous as it sounded, Campbell's attitude on helmets was merely reflective of a
firmly held belief among league owners that their use was bad for the game.167
113.

In 2012, The Daily Mail ran an article discussing Martin’s career, noting:

THE consequences of a career in professional ice hockey may be even worse than
previously thought. An autopsy on Rick Martin, a seven-time All-Star and winger
with the Buffalo Sabres in the 1970s, who died of a heart attack aged 59,
discovered he, too, suffered the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic
encephalopathy.
Martin is the third former NHL player to be found, posthumously, to have the
condition, but the first not to play in the role of enforcer. There is no explanation
for Martin’s illness, although he was victim of one of the sport’s most notorious
fouls, when Dave Farrish of the New York Rangers hooked his neck from behind
and kicked his feet away. Martin, who was not wearing a helmet, hit his head on
the ice and went into convulsions.

167

Id.
- 44 -

Meanwhile, don’t forget folks, Goon, a film making light of ice hockey’s most
violent excesses, is in cinemas this week. Coming soon: Goon 2: The Drooling
Years.168
114.

In 1987, a Canadian media outlet ran a story on NHL player, Earl Seibert

(“Seibert”).169 Seibert played in the NHL from 1931 until 1946.170 The NHL inducted Seibert
into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1963.171 The article noted that Seibert suffered at least one
concussion in 1929 and, subsequently, was the first NHL player to wear a helmet.172
115.

In 1987, the Associated Press ran a story about NHL player Brad Marsh

(“Marsh”).173 Marsh played in the NHL from 1978 until 1993.174 Marsh was an NHL all-star in
his final year.175

Marsh was in 55 fights in NHL games.176 The article stated as follows

regarding Marsh:
Philadelphia defenceman Brad Marsh will miss about a week of play while
recovering from a collision that left him with a concussion and scalp wounds.
Marsh, one of the few remaining NHL players to play without a helmet, was

168

THE DAILY MAIL, supra.

169

Paul Patton, Where are they Now? Earl Seibert Hockey, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Mar. 7, 1987.

170

Id.

171

One On One With Earl Seibert, Hockey Hall of Fame
http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep196303.shtml.

(April

10,

2012),

172

Paul Patton, Where are they Now? Earl Seibert Hockey, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Mar. 7, 1987.

173

Associated Press, Around the Rinks, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec. 11, 1987.

174

Brad Bradley Marsh, Hockey Hall of Fame http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Legends
OfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11026 (last visited on Mar. 28, 2014).

175

Id.

176

Brad Marsh, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/4212 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 45 -

injured when Cam Neely and Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins checked him
hard against the boards during the first period Tuesday.177
116.

In 1988, a Canadian media outlet ran a story regarding NHL player Edgar

Laprade’s hospitalization due to head trauma.178 Edgar Laprade (“Laprade”) played in the NHL
from 1945 until 1955.179 In the incident, opposing player Bill Ezinicki (“Ezinicki”) caused
Laprade’s concussion.180 Ezinicki played in the NHL from 1944 until 1955,181 and had the
nickname “Wild Bill.”182

The article notes that then NHL president Clarence Campbell

concluded that Ezinicki’s contact with Laprade was legal.183 Laprade would later be inducted
into the NHL’s “Hall of Fame.”184
117.

In 1996, a Canadian media outlet ran an article titled Comfort, safety clash in

NHL helmet debate, noting a “rash of concussions this season.185 That same year, a Canadian

177

Associated Press, Around the Rinks, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec. 11, 1987.

178

Paul Patton, Where Are They Now? Bill Ezinicki Hockey, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Jan. 13, 1988

179

Players: Edgar Laprade, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8447326#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

180

Paul Patton, Where Are They Now? Bill Ezinicki Hockey, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Jan. 13, 1988.

181

Three-time
Cup
winner
‘Wild
Bill’
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=643484.

182

Ezinicki

dies

(Oct.

15,

2012),

Id.

183

Paul Patton, Where Are They Now? Bill Ezinicki Hockey, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA),
Jan. 13, 1988.

184

Spotlight Pinnacle, Hockey Hall of Fame,
spot_pinnaclep199302.shtml (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
185

http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/

David Shoalts, Comfort, safety clash in NHL helmet debate, THE GLOBE
(CANADA), Mar. 28, 1996.
- 46 -

AND

MAIL

media outlet ran an article titled Concussions just a fact of hockey life.186 The article discussed
NHL player Dave Gagner (“Gagner”).187 Gagner played in the NHL from 1984 until 1999.188
Gagner was in 11 fights in NHL games.189 The article recounted Gagner’s many concussions
suffered in the NHL and his thoughts on the scope of the problem.190 The article quotes Gagner
as follows:
“The hitting isn’t any harder now than it used to be, but I think that players are
less concerned with retaliation than they were 10 years ago. Mironov hit me with
an elbow that landed right on my right eye. Ten years ago, there would have been
a bench-clearing brawl after a hit like that. Now guys won’t risk a 10-game
suspension or worse by getting off the bench and going after someone. I guess
the league did this to make the game better and for the fans it might be. For us,
it’s more dangerous.”191
4.
118.

The NHL’s Knowledge of Head Trauma to Its Own Icons

Although all NHL players face imminent risk of head trauma, many of the NHL’s

icons have suffered from notorious issues. There are many examples of head trauma to players
through which the NHL has generated billions of dollars.

186

Gare Joyce, Concussions Just a Fact of Hockey Life, THE GLOBE
April 10, 1996.

187

AND

MAIL (CANADA),

Id.

188

Players: Dave Gagner, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8446997 (last
visited Mar. 28, 2014).

189

Dave Gagner, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/693 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
190

Joyce, supra.

191

Id.
- 47 -

a.
119.

Gordie Howe’s Head Trauma Issues

Gordie Howe (“Howe”) is one of the greatest NHL players ever.192 Howe played

in the NHL from 1946 until 1980.193 Howe’s accolades may never be surpassed, even by fellow
NHL Hall of Fame inductees.194 However, Howe was nicknamed “blinky” due to the lasting
effects of head trauma he suffered during a game.195 A news outlet recently reported that Howe
is battling dementia.196
b.
120.

Marc Savard’s Head Trauma Issues

Marc Savard (“Savard”) played in the NHL from 1997 until 2011.197 Savard was

in a total of 3 fights in NHL games.198 In 2010, Savard was carried off the ice after a collision
with opposing player, Matt Cooke (“Cooke”).

192

See
Legends
of
Hockey,
Hockey
Hall
of
Fame,
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p197204&p
age=bio#photo (last visited on Mar. 28, 2014).

193

Id.

194

See John Kresier, Numbers only start to tell story of Howe’s greatness, (Mar. 29, 2013)
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=662741.
195

Larry Schwartz, Howe kept going and going . . ., ESPN CLASSIC,
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Howe_Gordie.html (last visited on Mar. 28, 2014).
196

Helene St. James, Battling dementia on 86th birthday, Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie
Howe still not one to sit around, DETROIT FREE PRESS,
http://www.freep.com/article/20140331/SPORTS05/303310029/gordie-howe-detroit-red-wings86th-birthday-mark-howe-mr-hockey (last visited on Apr. 10, 2014).
197

Team: Marc Savard, NHL.com, http://bruins.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8462118 (last
visited on Mar. 28, 2014).

198

Marc Savard, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/463 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 48 -

121.

In response to Cooke’s collision with Savard and in explaining why Cooke was

not suspended, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated: “‘I was very unhappy and upset with
that hit’. . . . ‘I was more upset there was nothing [in the NHL’s rules] to do to punish it.’”199
Cooke’s hit on Savard was characterized as “‘[a]very surgical hit to the head.’”200
122.

Cooke has played in the NHL since 1998.201 The next year after the hit on

Savard, the NHL suspended Cooke for four games for hitting an opposing player from behind

199

Bob Condor, Bettman on rule’s effect on play, injury prevention, NHL.com, Mar. 25, 2010,
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=522722.
200

James Matheson, Time for NHL to throw book at Cooke, EDMONTON JOURNAL (Mar. 21,
2011),
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/columnists/story.html?id=37ad4c4b-a85c4e26-9b11-9613cc12cb27.

201

Players: Matt Cooke, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8465951 (last
visited on Mar. 28, 2014).
- 49 -

and for ten days for elbowing an opposing player in the head.202 Cooke was in a total of 22
fights in NHL games.203
123.

After suffering head trauma from his interaction with Cooke, Savard was later hit

by other opposing players.204 Savard has described the daily struggles with the lasting effects of
head injuries: “‘I’m still hoping that something happens that I’ll feel a lot better. But if I feel like
this, I still couldn’t play.’”205
c.
124.

Nick Kypreos’s Head Trauma Issues

In 1998, the Canadian press ran an article regarding NHL player Nick Kypreos

(“Kypreos”).206 Kypreos played in the NHL from 1989 until 1997.207 Kypreos was in a total of
81 fights in NHL games.208

202

Kevin Allen, Matt Cooke suspended for rest of season, first playoff round, USA TODAY
(Mar. 21, 2011), http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-03-21-matt-cookesuspension_N.htm.
203

Matt Cooke, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/131 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

204

Scott Burnside, Marc Savard’s life still unsettled, ESPN.com (Jan. 21, 2012),
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7487217/boston-bruins-marc-savard-dealing-concussion-issues.
205

Id.

206

Canadian Press, Leaf Battles Back from Concussion, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada), March
12, 1998.
207

Players: Nick Kypreos, NHL.com, http://bruins.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8462118 (last
visited on Mar. 28, 2014).
208

Nick Kypreos, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/914 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 50 -

125.

Kypreos was a Stanley Cup champion.209 The 1998 article discusses how, on one

occasion, Kypreos suffered a concussion during a game.210 Instead of going to the hospital,
Kypreos recounted that he attempted to participate in a subsequent practice. The article notes
that there was “no protocol to follow” for NHL players who suffered concussions. In recounting
a fight during an NHL game, Kypreos is quoted as saying:
“I lost my helmet and hit my head on the ice.” . . . “It’s like a dream you can’t
remember. Within one hour everything started to come back into focus. I was
being asked how I was feeling and if I could go back on the ice to finish the
game.”211

209

Anthony Jenkins, Sports broadcaster Nick Kypreos on a new bilingualism, THE GLOBE AND
MAIL (CANADA), May. 2, 2013, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/sportsbroadcaster-nick-kypreos-on-a-new-bilingualism/article11688187/.
210

Canadian Press, Leaf Battles Back from Concussion, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada), March
12, 1998.

211

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.17.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
- 51 -

d.
126.

Dennis Vaske’s Head Trauma Issues

Dennis Vaske (“Vaske”) played in the NHL from 1990 to 1999.212 Vaske was in

one fight in an NHL game.213 Vaske ended his career due to concussions he suffered in the
NHL.214 In one trip to the hospital, Vaske recounted, “‘[r]iding in that ambulance, I thought my
head was going to explode.’”215

Vaske made attempts to continue playing despite the

concussions.216
e.
127.

Gino Odjick’s Head Trauma Issues

Gino Odjick (“Odjick”) played in the NHL from 1990 until 2002.217 Odjick was

in a total of 154 fights in NHL games.218

212

Players: Dennis Vaske, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8458300 (last
visited on Mar. 28, 2014).

213

Dennis Vaske, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/4213 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

214

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.16.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
215

Id.

216

Id.

217

Players: Gino Odjucik, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8449961 (last
visited Mar. 28, 2014).

218

Gino Odjucik, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/21 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 52 -

128.

Odjick was hit in the back of the head by a puck.219 Odjick subsequently suffered

from persistent dizziness and headaches and retired from the NHL.220
f.
129.

Dean Chynoweth’s Head Trauma Issues

Dean Chynoweth (“Chynoweth”) played in the NHL from 1988 until 1998.221

Chynoweth was in a total of 38 fights in NHL games.222

219

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.18.html (last visited mar. 28,
2014).
220

Id.

221

Players: Dean Chynoweth, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8446081
#&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

222

Dean Chynoweth, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/921 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
- 53 -

130.

Chynoweth reportedly suffered 13 concussions during his NHL career.223

Chynoweth is quoted as stating the following regarding the head trauma injuries he suffered in
the NHL:
“One doctor told me I could probably keep playing but I would have to change
my game, less contact, no fighting, but due to lingering symptoms it was not
possible. I wouldn’t have wanted to play any other way than the way I played.”224
g.
131.

Geoff Courtnall’s Head Trauma Issues

Geoff Courtnall (“Courtnall”) played in the NHL from 1983 to 2000.225

223

NHL Careers End by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.15.html (Mar. 28 , 2014).

224

Id.

225

Players: Geoff Courtnall, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8446205#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
- 54 -

132.

Courtnall was in a total of 49 fights in NHL games.226 Courtnall’s NHL career

ended after taking an elbow to the chin from opposing player Bryan Berard (“Berard”) during a
game in 1999.227 The trauma caused Courtnall to suffer a Grade 2 concussion and, subsequently,
Courtnall ended his NHL career.228 Berard, who had already been in the NHL for several years,
suffered no repercussions for the elbow during the game.229 The NHL eventually penalized
Berard with a two-game suspension.230 Berard went on to play for nearly another decade in the
NHL.231 Berard was in a total of 6 fights in NHL games.232 Berard’s NHL career eventually
ended with an extreme eye injury during an NHL game.233
226

Geoff Courtnall, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/725 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

227

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.14.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
228

Id.

229

Id.

230

Id.

231

Players: Bryan Berard, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8462032#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
- 55 -

h.

Petr Svoboda’s Head Trauma Issues

133.

Petr Svoboda (“Svoboda”) played in the NHL from 1984 until 2001.234

134.

In 2000, Svoboda was knocked out by opposing player Shane Doan (“Doan”).235

Svoboda retired 17 months later due to the lingering effects of the head trauma.236 Svoboda was
in a total of 20 fights in NHL games.237 Doan was a five-year veteran of the NHL when he

232

Bryan Berard, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/403 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

233

Nathanial Vinton, Former NHL Star Bryan Berard Out to Recover Millions Lost in
Financial Scam, DAILY NEWS (June 30, 2013), http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/iteam/scammed-ex-nhl-star-berard-fighting-back-article-1.1386771.
234

NHL
Player
Search,
Petr
Svoboda,
Hockey
Hall
of
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11602
visited Apr. 11, 2014).

Fame,
(last

235

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.13.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
236

Id.

237

Petr Svoboda, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/277 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 56 -

concussed Svoboda.238 Doan was in a total of 41 fights in NHL games.239 In 2010, Doan was
suspended for three games for hitting the head of opposing player Dan Sexton during a game.240
Doan had never before been suspended by the NHL. Doan is still playing in the NHL today.241
i.
135.

Jeff Beukeboom’s Head Trauma Issues

Jeff Beukeboom (“Beukeboom”) played in the NHL for 13 seasons.242

Beukeboom won four Stanley Cups during his NHL career. Beukeboom suffered from at least
six concussions.

238

Players: Shane Doan, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8462038#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

239

Shane Doan, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/161 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

240

Shane Doan suspended 3 games for
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=5700397.

hit,

ESPN

(Mar.

18,

2010),

241

Players: Shane Doan, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8462038#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

242

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.12.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
- 57 -

136.

On one occasion in 1998, opposing player Matt Johnson (“Johnson”) sucker

punched Beukeboom, which caused a concussion.243 Beukeboom was playing in an NHL game
three months later and suffered yet another concussion.244 The head trauma left Beukeboom
with headaches and trouble concentrating.

That would be Beukeboom’s final NHL game.

Beukeboom was in a total of 98 fights in NHL games.245 Johnson was a four-year NHL veteran
when he attacked Beukeboom in 1998. The NHL suspended Johnson for 12 games as a result of
the attack. Johnson would go on to continue playing in the NHL until 2004. Johnson tallied
over 1,500 penalty minutes in his NHL career.246 Johnson was in a total of 132 fights in NHL
games.247
j.
137.

243

Adam Deadmarsh (“Deadmarsh”) played in the NHL from 1994 until 2003.248

Id.

244

Adam Deadmarsh’s Head Trauma Issues

Id.

245

Jeff Beukeboom, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/656 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
246

NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Penalties in Minutes, http://www.hockeyreference.com/leaders/pen_min_career.html (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

247

Matt Johnson, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/183 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

248

Players: Adam Deadmarsh, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459436#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
- 58 -

138.

Deadmarsh suffered a concussion during a fight with opposing player Ed

Jovanovski (“Jovanovski”) in 2000. Deadmarsh was in a total of 58 fights in NHL games.249 In
2002, Deadmarsh was kneed in the head by his own teammate during an NHL practice.
Deadmarsh suffered from headaches and dizziness until he retired in 2005. Deadmarsh has been
quoted as follows regarding his head trauma:
“I’ve kind of been holding on and hoping and praying that I’d recover from this
concussion issue that I have and I haven’t been able to do that” . . . “It’s one of the
most frustrating injuries I think you could possibly have from a sports aspect.
Unless you have concussions, it’s kind of hard to explain to someone what it feels
like, but you know it’s something that’s not supposed to be there.”250
139.

Jovanovski still plays in the NHL. Jovanovski has been in a total of 50 fights in

NHL games thus far.251 In 1996, the NHL suspended Jovanovski for three games for leaving the

249

Adam Deadmarsh, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/235 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).

250

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.11.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
251

Ed Jovanovski, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/194 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 59 -

penalty box after receiving a roughing penalty.252 That same year, Jovanovski fought with an
opposing player, Bernie Nicholls (“Nicholls”). Nicholls hit Jovanovski with a stick to the head
and, as a result, the NHL then suspended Nicholls for two games and issued a $1,000 fine against
Nicholls.253 Nicholls was in a total of 27 fights in NHL games.254 In 2009, the NHL suspended
Jovanovski for two games for hitting an opposing player in the head with his forearm during a
game.255 The next month, Jovanovski elbowed an opposing player in the head, and the NHL
issued another two-game suspension.256 In 2011, Jovanovski suffered an orbital fracture from
colliding with an opposing player.257
k.
140.

Stu Grimson’s Head Trauma Issues

Stu Grimson (“Grimson”) played in the NHL from 1989 to 2002.258 Grimson got

in over 200 fights in his NHL career.259

252

Gordon Edes, Jovanovski Suspended 3 Games, SUNSENTINEL, Nov. 24, 1996,
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-11-24/sports/9611240089_1_jovanovski-panthers-gamemisconduct.
253

Nicholls Suspended, N.Y. TIMES Mar. 1, 1997, http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/01/
sports/nicholls-suspended.html.
254

Bernie Nicholls, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/3757 (last
visited Apr. 1, 2014).
255

Jovanovski
suspended
two
games,
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4727474.

256

League suspends Jovanovski 2 games
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=513275.

for

ESPN
elbow,

(Dec.
ESPN

9,
(Jan.

11,

2009),
2010),

257

Phoenix Coyotes' Ed Jovanovski likely out several weeks with orbital bone fracture, Arizon
Central, (Feb. 18, 2011), http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2011/02/18/
20110218phoenix-coyotes-ed-jovanovski-injury.html#ixzz2xGxlclXw.

258

Players: Stu Grimson, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8447386#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
- 60 -

141.

As a result of a fight with opposing player Dave Brown (“Brown”), Grimson

required reconstructive cheek surgery.260 Brown had been suspended for 15 games for hitting
opposing player Tomas Sandstrom with his stick and causing a concussion.261 Brown was in the
NHL from 1982 until 1996, and is a Stanley Cup champion.262 Brown was in a total of 148 fights
in NHL games.263

259

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.10.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
260

Id.

261

Flyers’ Brown Suspended for 15 Games, N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 3, 1987),
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/03/sports/flyers-brown-suspended-for-15-games.html.

262

Players: David Brown, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8445712#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
263

Dave Brown, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1038 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 61 -

142.

Grimson suffered from concussion symptoms that forced him to retire.264 One of

Grimson’s final moments in the NHL was a fight with an opposing player in 2001.
l.
143.

The Moore Brothers’ Head Trauma Issues

Steve Moore and Mark Moore were brothers who were drafted to play into the

NHL.265 Mark Moore never made it to the NHL due to a concussion he suffered.266 Steve
Moore’s career ended due to a fractured neck and concussion he suffered from a blindside by
opposing player Todd Bertuzzi (“Bertuzzi”) in 2004, as depicted below:

144.

Steve Moore’s recurring concussion symptoms kept him from returning to the

NHL.267 In 2001, Bertuzzi had been suspended by the NHL for 10 games for participating in a

264

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.10.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).

265

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.9.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).

266

Id.

267

Id.
- 62 -

fight during a game.268 Bertuzzi still plays in the NHL and has played in over 1,000 games.269
Bertuzzi has been in 31 fights in NHL games.270
m.

Keith Primeau’s Head Trauma Issues

145.

Keith Primeau (“Primeau”) played in the NHL from 1990 until 2006.271

146.

Primeau suffered four concussions in the NHL.272 In 2003-2004, Primeau missed

21 NHL games due to concussions.273 Primeau was in a total of 81 fights in NHL games.274 In

268

Bertuzzi
given
10-game
suspension,
CBC
SPORTS
(Oct.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/bertuzzi-given-10-game-suspension-1.298642.

15,

2001),

269

Jeremy Laura, Todd Bertuzzi passes 1000 game milestone, Examiner.com (Feb. 28, 2011),
http://www.examiner.com/article/todd-bertuzzi-passes-1000-game-milestone.
270

Todd Bertuzzi, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/207 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

271

Players: Keith Primeau, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8450550#&navid=nhl-search
(last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
272

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.8.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).

273

Id.
- 63 -

2006, Primeau suffered a concussion at the hands of Alex Perezhogin (“Perezhogin”), who hit
Primeau in the head.275 Primeau subsequently retired from the NHL and has agreed to have his
brain donated for use in Boston University’s research effort into the causes of CTE in athletes.276
147.

In 2004, Perezhogin swung his stick at the face of an opposing player in a minor

league hockey game.277 The opposing player went unconscious and started convulsing. The
player required twenty stitches in his face and suffered a concussion.278

Perezhogin was

criminally prosecuted by the local authorities and was sentenced to one year probation and fined
$5,000.279
n.
148.

Matthew Barnaby’s Head Trauma Issues

Matthew Barnaby (“Barnaby”) played in the NHL from 1992 until 2007.280

Barnaby was in a total of 206 fights in NHL games.281 In 2007, Barnaby suffered a concussion
from a fight with opposing player Josh Gratton (“Gratton”), as depicted below:
274

Keith Primeau, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/29 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
275

Flyers’ Primeau retires because of lingering concussion, ESPN (Sept. 15, 2006),
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2587486.
276

Retired NHL Star Keith Primeau to Donate Brain Upon Death to Center for the Study of
Traumatic Encephalopathy (Apr. 3, 2009), http://www.bu.edu/news/2009/04/03/retired-nhl-starkeith-primeau-to-donate-brain-upon-death-to-center-for-the-study-of-tra.
277

Perezhogin charged after baseball-like swing (Aug. 26, 2004), http://sports.espn.go.com
/nhl/news/story?id=1868300.

278

Id.

279

Sports Shorts, THE STAR-LEDGER (June 8, 2005), at S74.

280

Players: Matthew Barnaby, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8459019#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

281

Matt Barnaby, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/82 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).
- 64 -

149.

Barnaby retired later that year due to the loss of vision in his left eye.282 Gratton

was in a total of 44 fights in NHL games.283
o.
150.

Mike Richter’s Head Trauma Issues

Mike Richter (“Richter”) played in the NHL from 1989 until 2003.284 The NHL

inducted Richter into its “Hall of Fame” in 2008.285 Richter suffered from two concussions in
eight consecutive months – one of which was caused by a puck to his face mask and another
which was caused by a knee to his head.286

282

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/
photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.7.html (last visited Mar. 28,
2014).
283

Josh Gratton, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1526 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

284

Players:
Mike Richter, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8450833#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
285

United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum, Our Enshrinees, http://www.ushockeyhall.
com/enshrinees.cfm (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

286

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.6.html.
- 65 -

p.
151.

Scott Stevens’s Head Trauma Issues

Scott Stevens (“Stevens”) played in the NHL from 1982 until 2004.287 Stevens

was in 111 fights in NHL games.288 Stevens was hit in the head by a slapshot by an opposing
player in 2003, causing a concussion.289 Stevens retired the next year due to post-concussion
syndrome.290

287

Players: Scott Stevens, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8451715#&
navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
288

Scott Stevens, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/173 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

289

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.5.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).

290

Id.
- 66 -

q.
152.

Pat LaFontaine’s Head Trauma Issues

Pat LaFontaine (“LaFontaine”) played in the NHL from 1983 until 1998.291

LaFontaine suffered from six concussions. LaFontaine was in a total of 2 fights in NHL
games.292

291

Players: Pat LaFontaine, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8448626#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

292

Pat LaFontaine, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/4223 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
- 67 -

153.

LaFontaine was once knocked unconscious by a hit from an opposing player,

James Patrick (“Patrick”).293 Patrick was in a total of 12 fights in NHL games.294 LaFontaine
collided with another player, causing a concussion. LaFontaine later hit his head on the ice and
was knocked out by a hard check from opposing player, Francois Leroux (“Leroux”). Leroux
played in the NHL from 1988 until 1998.295 In 1996, Leroux fought an opposing player in a
game and received a penalty for having had taped knuckles.296 Leroux was in a total of 52 fights
in NHL games.297
154.

LaFontaine recounted his head trauma:

A neurologist at the Mayo Clinic asked me, “Did it feel like someone came along
and ripped all the motivation and personality out of you?” That was exactly what
happened to me . . . I remember being scared because for the first month after my
fifth concussion, I was very depressed at times. I wouldn't want to come out of my
room. My wife was really scared because the littlest things would set me off.298

293

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.4.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).

294

James Patrick, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/10049 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).

295

Players: Francois Leroux, NHL.com, http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8448822#
&navid=nhl-search (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
296

WIKIPEDIA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Leroux (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

297

Francois Leroux, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/732 (last
visited Mar. 31, 2014).
298

NHL Careers Ended by Concussions, SI.COM, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/nhl-careers-ended-by-concussions/content.4.html (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).
- 68 -

155.

The NHL inducted LaFontaine into its “Hall of Fame” after he retired due to the

effects of his repeated head trauma.299
r.
156.

Chris Pronger’s Head Trauma Issues

Chris Pronger (“Pronger”) played in the NHL from 1993 until 2012.300 In 2000,

Pronger took a stick to his eye during a game.301

157.

Pronger returned several games later and was hit hard into the boards.302

Attempting to play two games after that, Pronger was unable to play due to the effects of the
concussion he had sustained.303 Pronger was in a total of 21 fights in NHL games.304

299

Hockey Hall of Fame, http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Legends
Member.jsp?type=Player&mem=P200302&list=ByName (last visited, Mar. 28, 2014).
300

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8459424 (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).

301

Adam Kimelman, Pronger to miss at least 2-3 weeks with eye injury, NHL.COM (Oct. 24,
2011) http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=597339 (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
302

Sean Leahy, Chris Pronger out for season with severe post-concussion syndrome, YAHOO
SPORTS, http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/chris-pronger-out-for-season-withsevere-post-concussion-syndrome?urn=nhl,wp19988 (Dec. 15, 2008).
303

Id.
- 69 -

s.
158.

Paul Kariya’s Head Trauma Issues

Paul Kariya (“Kariya”) played in the NHL from 1994 until 2010.305 Kariya was

an NHL all-star306 and achieved numerous accolades during his tenure, including the Lady Byng
Trophy for the NHL’s most gentlemanly player.307 Kariya scored over 400 goals in his NHL
career.308 Kariya had an illustrious amateur career, receiving the award for the top collegiate
hockey player in 1993, winning Olympic medals, including the gold medal in 2002 at the Salt
Lake City Winter Olympics.309
159.

Kariya ended his NHL career due to the negative effects of head trauma he

suffered in the NHL. In one instance, Kariya suffered a blindside hit from opposing player Gary
Suter (“Suter”).310

304

Chris Pronger, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/395 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

305

Career Stats: Paul
/players/bio/?id=1258.
306

Kariya,

THE

SPORTS

NETWORK,

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams

Kariya,

THE

SPORTS

NETWORK,

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams

Id.

307

Career Stats: Paul
/players/bio/?id=1258.
308

Id.

309

Id.

310

Ira Podell, Long overdue, NHL set to eliminate hits to head, USA Today (Mar. 19, 2010),
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2010-03-19-1441696908_x.htm
- 70 -

The NHL suspended Suter for four games.311 Suter played in the NHL from 1985 until 2002, for
a total of over 1,000 games.312 In 1989, Suter suffered a broken jaw during a game.313 In 1990,
Suter was arrested for assaulting a police officer.314 Suter was prosecuted, pled to the charges,
and paid a fine of $8,520.315 Suter had been accused of intentionally trying to injure Wayne

311

Elliot + Teaford, Cross-check on Kariya Costs Suter Four Games, L.A. Times, Feb. 4, 1998,
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/feb/04/sports/sp-15396.

312

Career Stats: Gary
players/bio/?id=623.

Suter,

THE

SPORTS

NETWORK,

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/

313

Flames’ Suter can’t grin, but he bears it, Record-Journal, May 14, 1989,
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pFNIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=agENAAAAIBAJ&pg=1248,35
40428

314

Suter faces trial, Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Aug. 1, 1990, p. 1B,
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sllFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3bsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4840,241
483

315

Suter
agrees
to
$8,520
fine,
Telegraph
Herald,
Feb.
12,
1991,
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sWxFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XLwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5571,
2088236
- 71 -

Gretzky during a Canada Cup game.316 In 1998, Suter signed a three-year contract worth $10
million.317 The NHL inducted Suter into its “Hall of Fame” in 2011.
160.

In 1996, an opposing player hit Kariya during an NHL game, concussing

Kariya.318 The player was not penalized during the game but was subsequently suspended by the
NHL.319 Kariya missed two games because of the concussion.320
161.

In 2003, Kariya collided with an opposing player during an NHL game.321 Kariya

laid on the ice motionless and had to be helped to the locker room.322 Kariya then returned to the
game.323
162.

Kariya suffered from headaches and short term memory loss.324 Kariya has been

an outspoken critic of the NHL, stating in interviews:
316

Suter’s
longest
night,
Milwaukee
Journal,
Sept.
17,
1991,
p.
C2,
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4aIaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QCwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6809,96
9422

317

Tim Sassone, Striking gold out west Sharks sign ex-Hawk Suter for 3 years, $10 million,
Daily Herald, July 2, 1998, – via Highbeamhttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-68946874.html
318

Kariya to miss 2 games, Lodi News-Sentinel, Nov. 15, 1996, at 22,
http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=4dczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ViEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5528,1864
571&dq=paul+kariya&hl=en.
319

Last Word in Sports, Toronto, Maple Leafs, Observer-Reporter, Nov. 15, 1996, at C4,
http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=CHReAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3WENAAAAIBAJ&pg=6720,24
84324&dq=paul+kariya&hl=en.

320

Kariya to miss 2 games, Lodi News-Sentinel, Nov. 15, 1996, at 22,
http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=4dczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ViEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5528,1864
571&dq=paul+kariya&hl=en.
321

Sherry Skalko, Kariya shows character in Game 6, ESPN.com, June 8, 2003,
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2003/story?id=1564873.
322

Id.

323

Damian Cristodero, Kariya toughs out rough Stevens hit, St. Petersburg Times, July 9, 2003,
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/09/Sports/Kariya_toughs_out_rou.shtml.
- 72 -

“The thing I worry about is that you’ll get a guy who is playing with a
concussion, and he gets hit, and he dies at centre ice.” . . .
“There’s too much of a lack of respect players have for one another . . . . If the
league wants to stop that kind of conduct, it will have to punish players . . . . Tengame suspensions . . . and more, have to be brought back to help wake up
players.”
“There probably isn’t a player in the league who hasn’t had a concussion.”325
t.

The Lindros Brothers’ Head Trauma Issues

163.

Eric and Brett Lindros were brothers who played in the NHL.

164.

Eric Lindros was the NHL MVP in 1995 and a 2002 Olympic gold medal

winner.326 Eric Lindros suffered eight concussions from 1998 through 2005, which eventually

324

Joe Lapointe, Hockey; Kariya Is Haunted by Next Big Hit, N.Y. Times, Oct. 6, 1998,
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/06/sports/hockey-kariya-is-haunted-by-next-big-hit.html.
325

Randy Starkman, Kariya retires, expresses worry for hockey’s future, THE TORONTO STAR
(June
29,
2011),
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2011/06/29/kariya_retires_
expresses_ worry_for_hockeys_future.html.
326

Eric Lindros Official Website, http://www.ericlindros.ca/bio (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
- 73 -

led to his retirement in 2007. 327 Eric Lindros’ former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, downplayed
the seriousness of his concussion condition.328
165.

Brett Lindros retired two years after playing in the NHL. 329 Brett Lindros had

sustained numerous concussions by the age of 20 and is quoted as stating:
“What was scary for me was each time it took longer to resolve -- my last
concussion before my 20th birthday took eight or nine weeks. . . . Sometimes I
had memory loss on the bench.”330
166.

A Canadian news source noted Brett Lindros’ outspoken views on the issue of

concussions.331 Brett Lindros stated: “It’s every kid’s dream to play in the NHL . . . My dreams
have basically been shattered.”332 The article went on to note:
Although Lindros’s concussions at the pro level are well documented, he said he
wasn’t sure how many he might have suffered during his junior career with the
Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.333
167.

The news source also interviewed coaches and management from Brett Lindros’

NHL team, which noted the frequency of concussions and the NHL’s willful disregard of the

327

Eric Lindros retiring from NHL: Report, Cbc SPORTS (Nov. 6, 2007)
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/eric-lindros-retiring-from-nhl-report-1.691592 (last visited
Mar. 27, 2014).

328

Alexander Hecht, Article, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Sports-Related Concussions: The
Merril Hoge Story, 12 Seton Hall J. Sports & Ent. L. 17, 43-44 (2002).
329

Gerald Eskenazi, NHL PLAYOFFS; Brett Lindros Calls It Quits, N.Y. TIMES, (May 2, 1996),
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/02/sports/nhl-playoffs-brett-lindros-calls-it-quits.html
(last
visited Mar. 27, 2014).
330

Id.

331

Robert MacLeod, Brett Lindros Ends Career Concussion-prone Islander Heeds Brain
Damage Warning, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) (May 2, 1996).
332

Id.

333

Id.
- 74 -

problem.334 For instance, Mike Milbury, the team’s general manager and coach, stated: “And I
think not only do we have to think how to treat a concussion, you have to think more in terms of
preventive measures. It used to be in old-time hockey you’d take a hit, you’d get your bell rung
and you’d go right back out there. Obviously, we’ve got to rethink that.”335
168.

After retirement, Eric Lindros was also vocal about his views on the concussion

problems. In fact, Eric Lindros started a call to action in the ice hockey community, including
through his association with the Ontario Brain Injury Association.336 A Canadian news source
quoted Eric Lindros as stating as follows:
It’s time to understand that we have a problem . . . We just don’t want anyone to
go through this again. . . . You cannot fix a brain, that’s something I had to learn.
It’s not like a shoulder or a knee. . . Hockey in an old sport. It’s the old-school
boys and an old way of thinking. We have to change that thinking a little bit. I
bought into it, I wanted to be a tough guy. But it didn’t do me any good. That’s
what came home to me obviously . . . my brother can’t play hockey any more . . .
Hopefully, other kids won’t have to go through this frustration and a shortened
dream of playing in the league. . . . The lack of response from the hockey
community has frustrated me337
169.

Another Canadian news article discussed the outreach on the NHL’s concussion

problem by the Lindros family.338 The article noted how different the NHL is from other elite
ice hockey organizations in other parts of the world in its stance on concussions: “In European
hockey, historically, if a player has a concussion, he’s automatically out three weeks. That seems

334

Id.

335

Id.

336

Lynda Dugdale, Concussions Grave Problem, Teary Lindros Says, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA) (Aug. 28, 1997).
337

Id.

338

James Christie, Alliance Advocates Need for Sport Safety; Lindros’s Father Serves As
Adviser; Urges More Information on Injuries, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) (June 23, 2000).
- 75 -

bizarre to North Americans.”339 The Lindros family criticized the NHL’s stance on concussions,
which involved “baseline testing”:
But you can return to baseline and still be concussed . . . Not all teams rest players
for the same period of time as it’s taken them to lose the symptoms of concussion.
Some teams are knowledgeable, others ignore them [symptoms] as if they just
didn’t happen.340
170.

According to sources quoted in the article, 9% of all ice hockey players from the

junior level and upward suffer one or more concussions in their careers.341 The article went on to
note that, from 1976 to 1996, “62 Canadian hockey players had landed in wheelchairs for life
with catastrophic neck injuries.”342 A physician interviewed further commented:
[I]n the 1980s, the rate was four paralyses per year . . . In the 1990s, it dropped to
two per year. We hope it’s cut in half again in this decade. But what has grown in
the 1990s is concussions.343
u.
171.

Tony Granato’s Head Trauma Issues

Tony Granato (“Granato”) played in the NHL from 1988 until 2001. 344 During a

game in 1996, Granato suffered a hard hit, which resulted in head trauma that caused swelling
and bleeding of his brain. 345 Complaining of severe headaches, he checked into the hospital a

339

Id.

340

Id.

341

Id.

342

Id.

343

Id.

344

Hockey Hall of Fame, http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Search
Player.jsp?player=10553 (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
345

Lisa Dillman, Head Injury Puts Kings’ Granato Into Hospital, LOS ANGELES TIMES (Jan. 31,
1996)
- 76 -

few days later.

346

He was forced to have brain surgery to remove an abnormal collection of

blood in his left temporal lobe. 347 Granato was in a total of 4 fights in NHL games.348
G.

Despite Knowledge of the Imminent Risk of Head Trauma and Its
Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health Effects, the NHL Has
Failed to Warn and Adequately Protect Its Players

172.

The NHL publicly acknowledges that its management are “the caretakers” of its

players,349 and that the NHL has to “do everything possible to protect [its] players.”350 NHL
deputy commissioner William L. Daly stated at a congressional hearing, “[T]he National Hockey
League considers the safety of our Players to be a top priority. . . the National Hockey League
has been – and will remain – absolutely committed to promoting the safety of its Players.”351
Yet NHL players had the option of not wearing a helmet until 1979.352 Many helmets that have

346

Id.

347

Hockey Hall of Fame, http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Search
Player.jsp?player=10553 (last visited Mar. 27, 2014).
348

Tony Granato, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/478 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

349

Dan Rosen, New concussion protocol goes into effect tonight, NHL.com (Mar. 16, 2011),
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=556289.

350

Concussion Syndrome Rocks NHL League Puts Study on Fast Track, but players must show
more respect, WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, Apr. 2, 1998, at C3.

351

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM L. DALY BEFORE THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
REGARDING CONCUSSIONS IN SPORTS, Submitted in connection with testimony on March
13, 2014.

352

James Duplacey, THE OFFICIAL RULES OF HOCKEY: AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE 49 (NHL Enterprise, Inc. 2001) (describing the June 1, 1979 NHL
legislation that made the wearing of a helmet mandatory for any player signing an NHL contract
after June 1, 1979. However, the legislation grandfathered in players who were members of the
NHL prior to that date, providing that the use of a helmet was voluntary for them.).
- 77 -

been worn are not safe.353 NHL goalies didn’t wear a full protective mask covering until
1959.354
173.

Academics have also criticized the NHL as being in a “state of denial when it

comes to concussion management.”355 As one commentator noted: “[P]layers were evaluated at
the bench. This was grossly inadequate as players can easily wave the trainer away and shrug off
the immediate effects of a head shot.”356 Another commentator has noted that “it took time
before the intransigent NHL ordered the use of helmets for new players coming into the league
since 1979.”357
174.

In a 2012 academic article, the author states as follows regarding the NHL’s

concussion policies:
One change in policy implemented by the NHL to combat the recent concussion
epidemic included the revision of its concussion management protocols. First, a
doctor, rather than a trainer, must make immediate return to play decisions.
Second, immediate examinations to detect whether an athlete had suffered a
concussion must occur in a quiet room, free from distractions, as opposed to on
the bench, where such examinations would sometimes occur. The initial
examination represents a strong improvement in the NHL’s concussion
management policy, as it increases the likelihood of concussion detection. Where
the old policy allowed a motivated athlete to insist he is okay and return on the
353

Gare Joyce, Hard Heads Shun Safer Helmets Heads up / Some of Hockey’s Greats Continue
to Sport Helmets They Wouldn’t Let Their Kids Wear. The NHL and its Players are Finally
Putting Their Heads Together, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec 2, 1997, at A30.
354

The night Plante made goaltending
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=383063.

history,

NHL.com

(Nov.

1,

2012),

355

Alexander Hecht, Article, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Sports-Related Concussions: The
Merril Hoge Story, 12 Seton Hall J. Sports & Ent. L. 17, 63 (2002).
356

Bobby Brooks, 2011 NHL Playoffs: Are the New NHL Concussion Protocols Really
Working? BleacherReport.com (Apr. 18, 2011), http://bleacherreport.com/articles/669655-headcases-are-the-new-concussion-protocols-really-working.
357

James Christie, Background “Helmets Masterton Injury Got Players Thinking,” THE GLOBE
AND MAIL (CANADA), Aug. 27, 1992.
- 78 -

next shift, the new policy requires a physician evaluation if an athlete exhibits any
of the following symptoms: loss of consciousness, motor coordination or balance
problems, slowness to get up following a hit to the head, blank or vacant look,
disorientation, clutching the head after a hit, or a visible facial injury in
combination with any of the above. Evidently, the threshold requiring an
evaluation is purposefully low. . . . While both the NHL and NFL have made
positive changes to their concussion management policies, the policies remain
deficient.358
175.

Worse, throughout the decades, the NHL has purposefully failed to warn against

and protect its players from the risks and consequences of head trauma.
1.
176.

The NHL Spurns Many Different Calls for Change
Throughout the Eras

The NHL has paid cynical public relations lip-service to the need for change to its

violent manner. Then NHL president John Zeigler stated as follows in a 1977 Canadian media
interview: “Probably the best way to change violence in the NHL is to change our image.” 359
177.

Regarding a brawl between seven Philadelphia Flyers players and five New York

Rangers players, then executive vice president of the NHL, Brian O’Neil, stated in a 1978
Canadian media interview: “The violence was all over the ice and even threatened to include the
fans.”360 However, O’Neil went on to acknowledge that the NHL’s own “rulebook” did not
provide for the types of fines that he claimed he would have like to have seen “levied” against
the brawlers.361

358

Mitch Koczerginiski, Article: Who is at Fault When a Concussed Athlete Returns to Action?,
47 Val. U.L. Rev. 63 (2012).
359

United Press International, Game Breeds Frustration Hockey Needs Fights to Stay Clean:
Ziegler, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec. 3, 1977.

360

Associated Press, “Disgusting” Brawl Sees 12 Players Ejected Heavy Fines Will be Sought
After Exhibition of Violence, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Sept. 28, 1978.
361

Id.
- 79 -

178.

In a 1978 media interview regarding an NHL player who swung his stick at

another player, O’Neil proclaimed that the three game suspension without pay for the player was
not “severe enough.”362
179.

But when calls for change came from various authorities and institutions, the

NHL was quick to retreat from its public-relations lip service.
a.
180.

The Sports Violence Act of 1980

The United States Congress proposed bill entitled, the Sports Violence Act of

1980.363
181.

The proposed bill was intended to deter and punish episodes of violence in

professional sports by imposing federal criminal penalties. Proponents of the act said that
federal legislation to control violence in professional sports was necessary because existing
mechanisms, such as league self-regulation and state and local laws, had been ineffective for
curbing violence.
182.

At the congressional hearings for the act, an attorney who represented

professional athletes spoke about a concussion injury sustained by one of his clients, Dennis
Polonich, an NHL player, and the need for federal regulation to deter violent conduct:
In a professional hockey game between the Colorado Rockies and the Detroit Red
Wings played at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan on October 25, 1978,
Wilf Paiement of the Colorado Rockies attacked Dennis Polonich of the Red
Wings with his stick. Paiement struck Polonich across the face with his hockey
stick in a manner described by Referee John McCauley as a “baseball type
swing.” Polonich sustained severe nasal fractures, multiple lacerations to the face
and a concussion. If the blow had struck Polonich an inch higher on his face, he
could well have lost the sight of one or both eyes. Polonich had no recollection of
the events for several hours after the injury. As a result of the attack, Paiement
362

James Christie, NHL Crackdown Decks Williams For Three Games, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
(CANADA) Dec. 16, 1978.
363

H.R. 7903, 96th Cong., 2d. Sess., 126 Cong. Rec. 20,890 (1980).
- 80 -

was suspended for 15 games by the National Hockey League. He was fined the
maximum amount allowed permitted under the rule – Five Hundred Dollars
($500.00). The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the incident and
decided not to prosecute Paiement. However, Prosecutor William L. Calahan
stated “The operation of the law does not stop at the ticket gates of any sports
event in my jurisdiction. Even though this specific incident will not result in a
criminal prosecution, everyone concerned should understand that criminal
violence occurring during any sporting event will, if supported by fact of law, be
prosecuted.”
Polonich is my client and I can assure you that his ability to play professional
hockey has been severely impaired as a result of this injury. It is my judgment
that the penalty and fine assessed against Paiement was too little and too late to
deter such future acts of violence.364
183.

In addition, at the hearing, there was a prepared statement by Rick Horrow, an

author on the topic of sports violence. Mr. Horrow mentioned another NHL incident where the
player that caused the concussion suffered little consequences for his actions of violence:
A September 21, 1969 incident gave rise to Regina v. Green and Regina v. Maki.
That night, Boston Bruin Ted Green almost lost his life after being struck by a
hockey stick wielded by Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues. Green “came off the
boards and cuffed Maki with the back of his glove.” Maki retaliated with his
stick, coming straight overhead – as described at the NHL disciplinary hearing –
“like a logger splitting a stump.” Milt Schmidt, the Bruin coach at the time, said
it was “the worst thing he ever saw in a hockey game. He fell like a cut log.”
Green sustained a serious concussion and massive hemorrhaging. After two brain
operations, he regained only partial sensation and has never recovered 100
percent. Two charges were brought; one against each participant. While the
incident was condemned both in and out of hockey, and despite the severity of the
injuries and the intentional violence involved, all the criminal charges were
dismissed. A one-month league suspension was the only penalty imposed.365
184.

Further, the hearing discussed a paper entitled Sports Injuries:

Who Pays?

authored by John Liskey, which provided, in pertinent part, regarding the concussion problem
endemic to the NHL:
364

Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary House of
Representatives, 97th Cong. 26, at 39 (1980) (statement of Brian M. Smith).

365

Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary House of
Representatives, 97th Cong. 26, at 92 (1980) (statement of Rick Horrow).
- 81 -

Dan Maloney of the Detroit Red Wings was the third player in NHL history to
stand trial for criminal assault. Maloney allegedly attacked Brian Glennie of the
Toronto Maple Leafs from behind, punched him in the face, threw him to the ice,
punched him again, then twice lifted him from the ice and dropped him. Glennie
was diagnosed with a severe concussion. The Court stated that Glennie could not
have consented to this kind of violence as “part of the game.” The Court said
“There’s good law and good sense to apply the criminal law equally and evenly
within the society and the sporting arena.” On July 1, 1976, Dan Maloney was
acquitted because of a hung jury. In an unusual procedure, a statement by the jury
accompanied the acquittal, pleading for an end to violence in hockey.366
185.

Nevertheless, in response to the bill, then NHL president Zeigler was quoted by a

Canadian media outlet as stating at a subcommittee hearing that “under the present laws in the
United States and in the provinces of Canada, people charged with refereeing the sports seem to
have done a responsible job.”367 Ziegler was also quoted as stating that the NHL “didn’t need
the federal Government to interfere.”368
b.
186.

The McMurtry Report

William McMurtry (“McMurtry”), a Canadian lawyer and brother of Chief Justice

of Ontario R. Roy McMurtry,369 authored a report criticizing the excessive violence in the
NHL.370 After McMurtry interviewed then NHL president Clarance Campbell and various NHL
players, McMurtry concluded that that professional hockey, “with its emphasis on winning and
use of violence as a tactical instrument to achieve that goal,” was a cause of violence in amateur

366

Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary House of
Representatives, 97th Cong. 26, at 239 (1980) (Appendix).

367

Al Strachen, Intervention Spoils Sport, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) Nov. 26, 1980.

368

Id.

369

William R. McMurtry, Q.C., Senior Litigator, Advocate for the “Underdog” and
Compassionate Leader Dies at 72, taglaw.com (Feb. 12, 2007).
370

Id.; William R. McMurtry, Q.C., INVESTIGATION AND INQUIRY INTO VIOLENCE IN AMATEUR
HOCKEY (Aug. 21, 1974), https://archive.org/details/investigatamhock00onta.
- 82 -

hockey.371 McMurtry went on to further criticize the NHL, observing that “[i]t is perhaps the
only sport, professional or otherwise, that encourages the use of physical intimidation outside the
rules as a legitimate tactic,” and that “[a]ll players spoken to stated there was tremendous peer
pressure to stand and fight.”372
c.
187.

Hockey Legends Blow the Whistle

Some players staged a backlash against the NHL, the most notable of which was

Bobby Hull (“Hull”). The NHL inducted Hull into its “Hall of Fame” in 1983. Hull played in
the NHL from 1957 until 1980. Hull was a Stanley Cup champion and has been considered
among the greatest NHL players of all time.373 In the years leading to his retirement, Hull took it
upon himself to call for change to the violence in the NHL. In 1975, Hull staged a one-game
protest strike.374 Hull was also vocal about why he rejected the NHL’s commodification of
violence:
“The idiot owners, the incompetent coaches, the inept players are dragging the
game into the mud. They’re destroying it with their senseless violence. The
game is no pleasure any more. It’s an ordeal.”375
188.

In another article concerning violence in the NHL, a media outlet quotes Hull as

saying, “I’ve watched NHL, WHA, junior and minor hockey and it’s all the same. Why do
people think they have to annihilate the opposition to win?”376

371

Id. at 17.

372

Id. at 19.

373

MICHAEL ULMER, THE HOCKEY NEWS, THE TOP 100 NHL PLAYERS
(McClelland and Stewart 1998).
374

OF

ALL TIME

Neil Campbell, After 22 Years as superstar Hull quits as player, stays as executive, THE
GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Nov. 2, 1978.
375

Id.
- 83 -

189.

Like Hull, Bobby Orr was also critical of the NHL’s use of violence to entice

spectators. The NHL inducted Orr into its “Hall of Fame” in 1979 at age 31.377 Orr played in
the NHL from 1966 until 1979. Orr was a Stanley Cup champion378 and considered by ESPN as
one of the 50 greatest athletes of the 20th Century.379 Orr was quoted as follows by a media
outlet regarding the violence in the NHL: “If the NHL can’t see what they’re doing to hockey,
then shame on them.”380
190.

Mike Bossy played in the NHL from 1977 until 1987.381 Bossy was a first team

NHL all-star five times382 and holds many goal scoring records.383 The NHL inducted Bossy
into its Hall of Fame in 1991.384 In the year after Bossy retired from the NHL, a Canadian media
outlet documented Bossy’s denouncement of NHL goons, and the need for the NHL to issue

376

Mad Enough to Stop Fighting, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) (Mar. 24, 1979).

377

ESPN – Boston Hall of Fame, ESPN.com, http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/boston/
halloffame/jersey?id=6857654 (last visited Apr. 3, 2014)

378

Id.

379

Top N. American Athletes of the Century, http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/athletes.html
(last visited Apr. 3, 2014).

380

Trent Frayne, Orr Scores When Aiming at Hockey Violence, THE GLOBE
(CANADA) (Jan 24, 1989).
381

AND

MAIL

Mike Bossy, Legends of Hockey, http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/
jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p199101&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName (last visited
Apr. 3, 2014)
382

Id.

383

Id.

384

Id.
- 84 -

harsh suspensions against players who intentionally try to injure others.385 Bossy was in one
fight in an NHL game.386
d.
191.

Canadian Authorities Seek Reform

In the wake of the defeat of the NHL’s all-stars to a then Soviet Union team in

1979, Ontario Attorney-General Roy McMurtry took the opportunity to criticize the violence in
the NHL:
The people who run hockey in this country have a lot of explaining to do . . .
During the past 10 years, there has been much less emphasis placed on the basic
skills – such as skating and handling the puck - than there has been on the
physical aspects of the game.
You go out and watch the youngsters play, as I have often over the years, and the
kids are inhibited from developing their skills because they’re waiting for
someone to take a run at them, or try to run them through the boards
*

*

*

It doesn’t matter what an attorney-general says, but when you’ve got top-notch
hockey players like Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard criticizing
the professional leagues for the lousy model they’ve provided for hockey in
general, then one has to perhaps sit up and listen to what they’re saying.387
192.

Similarly, Otto Jelinek, Canadian Minister of State for Fitness, was quoted by a

media outlet regarding his desire to meet with then NHL president Zeigler: “’I have to express
my point of view and the point of view of the federal Government regarding violence in sport.

385

James Christie, The Boss Is back Book by former Islander star lashes out at NHL violence,
THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) Nov. 19, 1988.

386

Mike Bossy, HOCKEYFIGHTS.COM, http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/11198 (last visited
Mar. 31, 2014).

387

McMurtry upset violence blamed for NHL’s defeat, THE GLOBE
Feb. 21, 1979.
- 85 -

AND

MAIL (CANADA),

My meeting with Mr. Ziegler won’t be a confrontation, but I have to share my views with
him.’”388
e.
193.

Additional Backlash

In 1984, a Canadian media outlet reported on a forum conducted by the Ontario

Commission regarding hockey violence.389 During the three-day forum, former NHL players
provided their insight.390 However, a then NHL executive vice-president commented on the
forum, stating that the did “not believe hockey to be above the law, but steadfastly maintains that
the sport has its own disciplinary measures and can govern itself.”391
194.

In 1985, a Canadian media outlet noted the NHL’s rejection of criticism about its

violence.392 The article quoted Ziegler as saying, “‘The facts don’t bear out all the dialogue
going on (about violence)’ . . . . ‘I myself don’t see any need for a dramatic change.’”393
195.

In 1987, a U.S. media outlet reported on a meeting about the violence in the NHL

between then Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, Ray Flynn, and Ziegler.394 The article quoted

388

James Christie, Plans meeting with Ziegler NHL worries Jelinek, THE GLOBE
(CANADA), Mar. 7, 1985.
389

James Christie, Sports violence: Controversial can of worms, THE GLOBE
(CANADA), Apr. 28, 1984.

AND

MAIL

AND

MAIL

390

Id.

391

Id.

392

Ziegler rejects views of violence increase, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA) Feb. 6, 1985.

393

Id.

394

Boston Mayor Ray Flynn met Friday with NHL president, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Feb. 21, 1987,
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-02-21/sports/8701150191_1_general-manager-emilefrancis-stanley-cup-playoffs-nhl.
- 86 -

Flynn as having told Ziegler “‘that if professional leagues did not live up to their responsibilities,
then the league should expect community intervention.’”395
f.
196.

The Rink

In or about 1996, NHL arenas began using a seamless glass system above the rink

boards. The seamless glass eliminated the metal dividers between the rectangular panes of
independent flexible plexiglass that was standard prior to the introduction of the seamless glass.
The seamless glass allowed fan to see the game more clearly, and pucks shot around the corners
did not take as many strange bounces.
197.

Players immediately began complaining, describing hits against the seamless

glass as being like hitting concrete or a brick wall.
198.

In a January 19, 1997 New York Times article, NHL player Derian Hatcher was

quoted as saying: ‘‘It’s hard. It doesn’t move. It seems like guys will get injuries. Being hit into
this is not fun.’’396
199.

When asked to respond to players’ concerns regarding the seamless glass systems,

Arthur Pincus, the NHL’s vice president of public relations, said, ‘‘We have heard those feelings
and we are looking at a variety of things dealing with injuries. There is only anecdotal evidence
about a variety of factors and we are looking into any number of factors.’’397
200.

The NHL failed to act for another three years, until, prior to the 2000-2001

season, it adopted regulations requiring arenas with tempered glass to meet certain flexibility

395

Id.

396

Joe Lapointe, Players Call a New Type of Glass Around Rinks Unsafe, N.Y. TIMES Jan. 19,
1997, http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/19/sports/players-call-a-new-type-of-glass-around-rinksunsafe.html

397

Id.
- 87 -

standards.398 The NHL gave a target deadline for improving the safety of seamless glass of
December 31, 2002.399
201.

It was not until the 2011-2012 season, however, that the NHL finally required all

arenas to convert the seamless glass system to a flexible acrylic system.400
g.
202.

Player Equipment

The NHL has long known that hard cap plastic shoulder pads have increased the

incidence of concussions.
203.

The NHL recognized the risk of hard plastic capped elbow pads in 2003, when

rule changes required any hard plastic in elbow pads be covered by a layer of foam.401
204.

NHL players have publically stated that harder and more protective equipment

gives player a feeling of “invincibility,” which leads NHL players to play much more physically
and aggressively; extensively padded players are less concerned about injuring themselves in a
hard body check.402

398

Statement of William L. Daly Before the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and
Commerce, Subcommittee on Commerce, Regarding Concussions in Sports (Mar. 13, 2014),
https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearing/improving-sports-safety-multifaceted-approach.

399

Transcript of media conference call with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Oct. 3. 2002,
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/10/03/media_conference/.

400

Statement of William L. Daly, supra; NHL opens its 95th season tomorrow night with
spotlight on Winnipeg return, B's Cup defense, NHL.COM (Oct. 5, 2011)
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=594578.
401

David Shoalts, Elbow, shoulder pads under scrutiny in bid to reduce NHL head injuries, THE
GLOBE AND MAIL (CANADA), Dec. 13, 2011, http://www.theglobeandmail.com
/sports/hockey/elbow-shoulder-pads-under-scrutiny-in-bid-to-reduce-nhl-headinjuries/article4180946/.
402

Douglas Flynn, NHL Needs to Modify Protective Equipment to Reduce Head Injuries,
NESN.com, (Mar. 19, 2011), http://nesn.com/2011/03/the-hits-just-keep-coming/.
- 88 -

205.

Hard plastic acts as body armor and simultaneously protects an aggressive

player’s shoulders, while creating a harder striking surface for the recipient of a blow, leaving
many players concussed.403
206.

The NHL waited, however, until the 2010-2011 season to require foam covering

over plastic shoulder pads.404
207.

The use of hard plastic in both elbow and shoulder pads is still permitted, despite

numerous calls to eliminate hard plastic and soften the padding worn by NHL players.405
208.

As Boston Bruins team president Cam Neely stated in 2012: “‘Personally, I’d

rather have a player with a separated shoulder than someone with a concussion’. . . . ‘I don’t
know why it’s that difficult to look at the equipment and say, ‘We really need to do something
with the shoulder pads and elbow pads.’”406
2.
209.

In 1997, the NHL Undertakes an Untimely and Purposefully
Ineffective “Concussion Program”

Rather than take immediate measures to protect its players from these known

dangers, it was not until 1997 that the NHL launched a concussion program to improve the
understanding of this injury.
210.

The 1997 NHL Concussion Program was to focus on initial post-concussion

signs, symptoms, physical examination findings and time loss (i.e., time between the injury and

403

Shoalts, supra.

404

Id.

405

See e.g., Jason Brough, Flyers owner: NHL equipment too hard (Dec. 13, 2011),
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/13/flyers-owner-nhl-equipment-too-hard/.

406

Fluto Shinzawa, NHL seeks improvements in equipment safety, THE BOSTON GLOBE, May 20,
2012,
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/05/19/nhl-seeks-improvements-equipmentsafety/qCK53CUq1upvel3SC9aidK/story.html.
- 89 -

medical clearance by the physician to return to competitive play) experienced by NHL players,
and assess the utility of initial post-concussion clinical manifestations in predicting time loss
among hockey players.
211.

The 1997 NHL Concussion Program was conducted over seven NHL regular

seasons from 1997 to 2004 to determine the incidence of concussions and time lost. NHL team
physicians documented post-concussion clinical manifestations and recorded the date when a
player was medically cleared to return to play.
212.

Team physicians reported 559 concussions during regular season games.407 The

estimated incidence was 1.8 concussions per 1000 player-hours.408
213.

By 1997, when the NHL formed the NHL Concussion Program, independent

scientists, doctors, and neurologists alike were already convinced that all concussions — even
seemingly mild ones — were serious injuries that could permanently damage the brain, impair
thinking ability and memory, and hasten the onset of mental decay and senility, especially when
inflicted frequently and without time to properly heal.
214.

The NHL Concussion Program was publicized as being independent from the

NHL, consisting of a combination of the NHL’s Player’s Association, doctors and researchers
from major universities.
215.

In actuality however, the NHL Concussion Program was not independent. It

consisted of individuals who were already affiliated with the NHL.

407

Brian W. Benson et. al, A prospective study of concussions among National Hockey League
players during regular season games: the NHL-NHLPA Concussion Program, Canadian Medical
Ass’n J., May 11, 2011, 905-911.

408

Id.
- 90 -

216.

During the time the NHL Concussion Program “studied” the effects of

concussions on hockey players, the NHL experienced increasingly devastating and highly
publicized career-ending concussions in its players. Many of these incidents are described
above.
217.

At the conclusion of the NHL Concussion Program studies in 2004, the NHL

knew that fighting and concussions in the NHL were serious risks that could result in life altering
consequences.
218.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, at a 2007 press conference broadcast on CBC

Sports, said: “Fighting has always had a role in the game . . . from a player safety standpoint,
what happens in fighting is something we need to look at just as we need to look at hits to the
head. . . . But we’re not looking to have a debate on whether fighting is good or bad or should be
part of the game.”409
219.

Moreover, the NHL continued to withhold and suppress information from its

players, and the health and careers of the NHL’s best players continued to be destroyed.
3.
220.

The NHL Undertakes an Untimely and Purposefully
Ineffective Rule 48

Before the start of the 2010-2011 season, the NHL created Rule 48, which made

illegal checks to the head, defined as “[a] hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where
the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted,”410 subject to a fiveminute major penalty and automatic game misconduct, as well as possible supplemental
discipline if deemed appropriate by the league.
409

Fighting not up for debate: Bettman, CBC Sports (Mar. 26, 2007), http://www.cbc.ca/
sports/hockey/fighting-not-up-for-debate-bettman-1.661551.

410

Rule 48 – Illegal Check to the Head, http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=64063 (last
visited on Apr. 4, 2014).
- 91 -

221.

Rule 48 did not, however, impair the ability of players to deliberately target the

head of another player during a body check, which continued to be legal under the NHL rules
until the beginning of the 2013-2014 season.
a.

222.

The Head Trauma to Sidney Crosby Further Exposes
the NHL’s Failure to Warn and Adequately Protect
Against the Imminent Risk of Head Trauma and Its
Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health Effects

Despite the enactment of Rule 48, concussions continued to end the careers of

NHL stars in spectacular fashion, as described above. Moreover, the NHL’s concussion problem
took center stage, despite Rule 48, in 2011 with its current star player, Sidney Crosby
(“Crosby”). Crosby was the first overall draft pick in his NHL class.411 Crosby, known as the
“The Next One,”412 has received numerous NHL accolades and awards since starting in the
league in 2005.413 The jersey Crosby wore in this third NHL game sold for over $21,000.414 A
jersey from Crosby’s World Junior Hockey Championship days sold for over $22,000.415 Crosby

411

Greg Fernandez, Pens Draft History - Sidney Crosby, NHL.com (June 18, 2012)
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=634404 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

412

“The Next One,” MARITIME MAGAZINE (Jan. 18, 2004) http://web.archive.org/
web/20070504131840/http://www.cbc.ca/maritimemagazine/archives/040118_thenextOne.html
(last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
413

Greg Fernandez, Pens Draft History - Sidney Crosby, (Jun
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=634404 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014)

18,

2012)

414

Guide: Sidney Crosby, talkicehockey.com, http://www.talkicehockey.co.uk/guides/ice_
hockey_stars_sidney_crosby.html (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

415

Crosby jersey nets $22,100 in auction, CBC SPORTS (Jan. 20, 2005)
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/crosby-jersey-nets-22-100-in-auction-1.568876 (last visited
Mar. 28, 2014).
- 92 -

led his Canadian team to an Olympic gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,
Russia.416 A jersey that he wore during the Olympics sold for $37,100.417
223.

On January 1, 2011, Crosby and his NHL team played against the Washington

Capitals.418 Named the “2011 NHL Winter Classic,” the game was televised on NBC in the
United States, on CBC in Canada, and on RDS in French-speaking areas of Canada.419 During
the game, opposing player Dave Steckel (“Steckel”) landed a blindside hit on Crosby.420 Steckel
played in the NHL from 2005 until 2013.421 In years prior to blindsiding Crosby, Steckel had
suffered a broken finger during a game, which required pins.422
224.

Although Crosby suffered concussion symptoms from Steckel’s hit, he returned to

play in the internationally televised game.423 Four days later, Crosby’s team played the Tampa

416

Athletes:
Sidney
Crosby,
XXII
Olympic
Winter
http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-sidney-crosby (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

Games,

417

Sidney Crosby Olympic jersey sells for $37,100 at NHLPA online auction, The Hockey News
May 19, 2010, http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/33682-Sidney-Crosby-Olympic-jerseysells-for-37100-at-NHLPA-online-auction.html (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

418

Pen’s Crosby Returns on Monday, EDMONTON JOURNAL (ALBERTA), Nov. 21, 2011, at C5.

419

Travis Hughes, Winter Classic TV Coverage from NBC, CBS, RDS, SB NATION (Jan. 1,
2011), http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2011/1/1/1907928/winter-classic-tv-coverage-nbc-cbc-rdspenguins-capitals-outdoor-hockey (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
420

A Timeline of Sidney Crosby’s Concussion and Recovery, THE CANADIAN PRESS (Sept. 7,
2011) http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587898 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014); Pen’s Crosby
Returns on Monday, supra.

421

Players – David Steckel, NHL.com http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8469483 (last
visited Mar. 28, 2014).

422

Tarik El-Bashir, Steckel Is Close; Clark Not So Much, THE WASHINGTON POST (Mar. 27,
2008), http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/steckel-is-close-clark-not-so.html.
423

A Timeline of Sidney Crosby’s Concussion and Recovery, THE CANADIAN PRESS (Sept. 7,
2011), http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587898 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
- 93 -

Bay Lightning.424 Although Crosby had neck pain, he played in the game.425 During that
subsequent game, Crosby’s head was driven into the boards by opposing player Victor Hedman
(“Hedman”).426 Hedman received only a minor penalty.427 Later that year, Hedman signed a 5year, $20 million contract extension.428
225.

As a result of Hedman’s hit on Crosby, Crosby felt additional concussion-like

symptoms the next day.429 Crosby was then diagnosed by a specialist at the University of
Pittsburgh with a concussion.430 The specialist determined that the concussion was affecting
Crosby’s vestibular system, which is the part of the brain that allows an individual to stand
upright and maintain balance.431 In the subsequent months, Crosby experienced concussion-like
symptoms, which he then addressed at a September 2011 press conference.432

424

Id.

425

Id.

426

Josh Hargreaves, Crosby discusses lengthy recovery road from concussions, safety of the
game, THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Sept. 5, 2013) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/
crosby-discusses-lengthy-recovery-road-from-concussions-safety-of-the-game/article14118504/
(last visited Mar. 28, 2014).
427

Angie Carducci, Crosby Talks Concussion, Blindside Hits, Inside Hockey (Jan. 8, 2011),
http://insidehockey.com/crosby-talks-concussion-blindside-hits (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

428

Damian Cristodero, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman welcomes pressure of
$20
million
contract
extension,
TAMPA
BAY
TIMES
(Dec.
2,
2011)
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/tampa-bay-lightning-defenseman-victorhedman-welcomes-pressure-of-20/1204626.
429

A Timeline of Sidney Crosby’s Concussion and Recovery, THE CANADIAN PRESS (Sept. 7,
2011), http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587898 (last visited Mar. 28, 2014).

430

Id.

431

Id.

432

Id.
- 94 -

4.

NHL Players Still Face the Same Imminent Risk of Head
Trauma and Its Devastating and Long-Term Negative Health
Effects
a.

226.

Scientists Continue to Warn Against the Concussion
Problem

In 2013, researchers published an article titled, Bodychecking Rules and

Concussion in Elite Hockey.433 The abstract of the article confirms that the various, supposed
rule changes implemented and studies conducted by the NHL have not protected its players:
The number of NHL concussions or suspected concussions was lower in 2009 –10
than in 2010 –11 (IRR 0.61; 95% CI 0.45, 0.83), but did not increase from 2010 –
11 to 2011–12 (IRR 1.05; 95% CI 0.80, 1.38). 64.2% of NHL concussions were
caused by bodychecking, and only 28.4% of concussions and 36.8% of suspected
concussions were caused by illegal incidents. We conclude that rules regulating
bodychecking to the head did not reduce the number of players suffering
concussions during NHL regular season play and that further changes or stricter
enforcement of existing rules may be required to minimize the risk of players
suffering these injuries.434
b.
227.

The NHL Has Not Implemented Effective Change

The report resulting from the NHL Concussion Program was not published until

May 17, 2011 – 20 years after publication of the Colorado Medical Society guidelines, and ten
years after the first International Symposium on Concussion in Sport. The report amounted to
little more than a statistical analysis of concussions suffered and time lost by players.
228.

Notably, the NHL Concussion Program report did not take a position on the long-

term effects of concussions, and did not provide any specific recommendations as to return to
play guidelines or rule changes.

433

Laura Donaldson, Mark Asbridge, Michael D. Cusimano, Bodychecking Rules and
Concussion in Elite Hockey, PLOS ONE (July 2013), http://www.plosone.org/
article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069122&representatio
n=PDF.

434

Id. at 1.
- 95 -

229.

After the publication of the NHL Concussion Program report, the NHL continued

to take the position that additional research was needed.
c.
230.

The NHL Keeps Profiteering from Extreme Violence

Although fighting has long been forbidden at other high levels of play, including

the Olympics and the NCAA, the NHL has refused to follow suit, despite incontrovertible
evidence that eliminating fighting would significantly reduce concussions. In fact, the NHL’s
supposed incentives against fighting create the absurd situation where players take off each
other’s helmet before fighting in order to receive a lesser penalty.435 Pictured below are Krys
Barch (“Barch”) and Brett Gallant (“Gallant”) doing just that in a September 19, 2013 NHL
preseason game:

231.

Barch and Gallant fought two more times during that game.436 Barch has played

in the NHL from 2006 until the present. In 2009, Barch had eight teeth shattered by an opposing

435

Sean Leahy, Krys Barch, Brett Gallant find rule loophole, remove each other’s helmets
before fight (Video), Yahoo! Sports (Sept. 19, 2013), http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/puckdaddy/krys-barch-brett-gallant-rule-loophole-remove-other-011011548--nhl.html.

436

Krys Barch 2013-2014 Preseason Fight Card,
players/598/fightcard/pre2014 (last visited Apr. 2, 2014).
- 96 -

http://www.hockeyfights.com/

player’s stick during an NHL game.437 In 2011, Barch was suspended for one game due to his
utterance of a racial slur at an opposing player during an NHL game.438
232.

There were two other fights between Barch’s and Gallant’s teammates during the

September 19, 2013 NHL preseason game,439 which is symbolic of the type of extreme and
unnecessarily violence still afflicting the NHL. Ryan Carter (“Carter”) and Travis Hamonic
(“Hamonic”) were two of the players that also fought in the September 19, 2013 game.440 When
Carter’s and Hamonic’s teams played again on March 1, 2014, Carter and Hamonic fought again.
233.

In the March 1, 2014 game, Carter skated full speed and delivered the following

hit on Hamonic’s teammate:

234.

Seconds later, Hamonic attacked Carter, as depicted below:

437

Mike Heika, Barch sticks it to Wings Stars enforcer loses some teeth, shows grit with his
quick return, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Jan. 30, 2009, at 10C.

438

Harvey Fialkov, Panthers’ Barch suspended, SUNSENTINEL, Jan. 5, 2012, http://articles.sunsentinel.com/2012-01-05/sports/fl-florida-panthers-barch-suspended-0106-20120105_1_racialslur-panthers-coach-kevin-dineen-erik-gudbranson.
439

Travis
Betts,
Game
Recap,
(Penalty
Summary)
(Sept.
19,
2013),
http://islanders.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2013010038 (last visited Apr. 2, 2014).

440

Id.
- 97 -

235.

When Hamonic attacked Carter, there were less than five minutes left in the game

and Hamonic’s team was losing 5 goals to 1.441 The announcer recounting the incident stated,
“That’s a retaliatory attack.”442 Minutes before Hamonic attacked Carter on March 1, 2014,
Hamonic had just attacked Carter’s teammate, Steve Bernier (“Bernier”), as depicted below:

441

Id.

442

Ryan Carter vs Travis Hamonic Mar 1,
?v=CQE9qEjAl6U (last visited Apr. 2, 2014).
- 98 -

2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch

236.

As pictured above, the refs stood watching, letting Bernier and Hamonic fight.

Giving the play-by-play of the fight between Bernier and Hamonic, the announcer said, “Travis
Hamonic, you know is a tough, aggressive guy. But with a couple concussions this year, you are
not sure that’s what you want him to get involved in. But emotions are becoming more apparent
with Travis. That would be a concern for me. Yeah, you know what? You need him to play his
tough game. His physical game. and he certainly can’t afford to take a good solid punch in the
head area.”443 Another announcer interjected, “Well, he’s a feisty guy. He competes. He doesn’t
like losing. Of course who does? But taking it out on Bernier. Willing combatant in his own right
who has some toughness to him. Travis able to land a pretty hard right.”444
237.

The extreme violence from the September 19, 2013 and March 1, 2014 NHL

games is symbolic of the hundreds of other violent incidents that have happened and will
continue to happen this NHL season and that will also induce head trauma. According to
hockeyfights.com, as of March 30, 2014:
443

Steve Bernier vs Travis Hamonic Mar 1, 2014,
WKK4RqXpV_c (last visited Apr. 2, 2014).
444

Id.
- 99 -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

(a) In the 2013-2014 NHL regular season thus far, there have been a total of
444 fights, involving 282 players.445 Out of 1,118 games, 346 had fights.446 Of those games
with fights, 75 had more than one fight.447 For the preseason, there were a total of 100 fights
in 104 games, involving 149 players, with 59 games involving at least one fight.448
(b) In the 2012-2013 NHL regular season, there were a total of 347 fights,
involving 245 players.449 Out of 720 games, 264 had fights.450 Of those games with fights,
66 had more than one fight.451
(c) In the 2011-2012 NHL regular season, there were a total of 546 fights,
involving 321 players.452 Out of 1,230 games, 423 had fights.453 Of those games with fights,
98 had more than one fight.454 For the preseason, there were a total of 72 fights in 108
games, involving 115 players, with 49 games involving at least one fight.455

445

NHL Fight Stats, http://www.hockeyfights.com/stats/ (last visited Mar. 30, 2014).

446

Id.

447

Id.

448

Id.

449

Id.

450

Id.

451

Id.

452

Id.

453

Id.

454

Id.

455

Id.
- 100 -

(d) In the 2010-2011 NHL regular season, there were a total of 645 fights,
involving 348 players. Out of 1,230 games, 458 had fights.456 Of those games with fights,
117 had more than one fight.457 For the preseason, there were a total of 115 fights in 106
games, involving 183 players, with 67 games involving at least one fight.458
(e) In the 2009-2010 NHL regular season, there were a total of 714 fights,
involving 341 players.459 Out of 1,230 games, 493 had fights.460 Of those games with fights,
171 had more than one fight.461 For the preseason, there were a total of 164 fights in 109
games, involving 209 players, with 74 games involving at least one fight.462
(f) In the 2008-2009 NHL regular season, there were a total of 734 fights,
involving 355 players.463 Out of 1,230 games, 509 had fights.464 Of those games with fights,
173 had more than one fight.465 For the preseason, there were a total of 151 fights in 111
games, involving 183 players, with 70 games involving at least one fight.466

456

Id.

457

Id.

458

Id.

459

Id.

460

Id.

461

Id.

462

Id.

463

Id.

464

Id.

465

Id.

466

Id.
- 101 -

(g) In the 2007-2008 NHL regular season, there were a total of 664 fights,
involving 324 players.467 Out of 1,230 games, 473 had fights.468 Of those games with fights,
143 had more than one fight.469 For the preseason, there were a total of 121 fights in 105
games, involving 164 players, with 63 games involving at least one fight.470
(h) In the 2006-2007 NHL regular season, there were a total of 497 fights,
involving 292 players.471 Out of 1,230 games, 384 had fights.472 Of those games with fights,
87 had more than one fight.473 For the preseason, there were a total of 92 fights in 105
games, involving 138 players, with 55 games involving at least one fight.474
(i) In the 2005-2006 NHL regular season, there were a total of 466 fights,
involving 276 players.475 Out of 1,230 games, 357 had fights.476 Of those games with fights,
80 had more than one fight.477 For the preseason, there were a total of 108 fights in 111
games, involving 138 players, with 67 games involving at least one fight.478
467

Id.

468

Id.

469

Id.

470

Id.

471

Id.

472

Id.

473

Id.

474

Id.

475

Id.

476

Id.

477

Id.

478

Id.
- 102 -

(j) In the 2003-2004 NHL regular season, there were a total of 789 fights,
involving 340 players.479 Out of 1,230 games, 506 had fights.480 Of those games with fights,
172 had more than one fight.481 For the preseason, there were a total of 137 fights in 124
games, involving 168 players, with 79 games involving at least one fight.482
(k) In the 2002-2003 NHL regular season, there were a total of 668 fights,
involving 321 players.483 Out of 1,230 games, 464 had fights.484 Of those games with fights,
139 had more than one fight.485 For the preseason, there were a total of 143 fights in 120
games, involving 165 players, with 78 games involving at least one fight.486
(l) In the 2001-2002 NHL regular season, there were a total of 803 fights,
involving 348 players.487 Out of 1,230 games, 519 had fights.488 Of those games with fights,
172 had more than one fight.489 For the preseason, there were a total of 122 fights in 109
games, involving 168 players, with 67 games involving at least one fight.490
479

Id.

480

Id.

481

Id.

482

Id.

483

Id.

484

Id.

485

Id.

486

Id.

487

Id.

488

Id.

489

Id.

490

Id.
- 103 -

(m) In the 2000-2001 NHL regular season, there were a total of 684 fights,
involving 329 players.491 Out of 1,230 games, 469 had fights.492 Of those games with fights,
155 had more than one fight.493 For the preseason, there were a total of 126 fights in 122
games, involving 167 players, with 72 games involving at least one fight.494
238.

Tens of thousands of extremely violent incidents inducing head trauma have

already happened in years past and will continue to happen unless the NHL is held to account for
its misconduct through this lawsuit.
V.

TOLLING OF THE STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS
239.

Plaintiffs and members of the Class could not have discovered through the

exercise of reasonable diligence, did not know, and could not have known that the NHL was and
is committing wrongdoing, including but not limited to: (i) subjecting and continuing to subject
Plaintiffs and the Class to the imminent risk of head trauma and, as a result, devastating and
long-term negative health consequences: (ii) failing to and continuing to fail to warn Plaintiffs
and the Class of the risks and consequences of head trauma; (iii) concealing material scientific
and anecdotal information from Plaintiffs and the Class about the risks and consequences from
head trauma; and (iv) failing to institute policies and protocols that could have and will protect
Plaintiffs and the Class from suffering or exacerbating head trauma sustained during practice or
in games.

491

Id.

492

Id.

493

Id.

494

Id.
- 104 -

240.

The NHL affirmatively concealed and continues to conceal its wrongdoing from

Plaintiffs and the Class. The NHL instituted purposefully-ineffective studies and changes that
were solely calculated by the NHL to fool and mislead Plaintiffs, the Class and the public into
ceasing investigation into the risks and consequences of head trauma and the NHL’s
wrongdoing. The NHL had and has superior knowledge of its wrongdoing, that there was and is
an imminent threat of head trauma for NHL players, and the risks and consequences of head
trauma to NHL players. Plaintiffs and the Class did not have this knowledge and could not have
had this knowledge through reasonable diligence.
241.

Accordingly, all applicable statutes of limitations have been suspended with

respect to any claims by Plaintiffs and the Class and, moreover, the NHL is estopped from
relying on any statutes of limitations defenses of this action.
VI.

CLASS ACTION ALLEGATIONS
242.

Plaintiffs brings this action their behalf and as a class action on behalf of all

former and current NHL players (the “Class”).
243.

This action is properly maintainable as a class action under Rule 23.

244.

The Class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable.

245.

There are questions of law and fact which are common to the Class and which

predominate over questions affecting any individual Class member. The common questions
include, inter alia, the following:
(a) Whether the NHL breached its duty to warn and protect the Class of the
risks and consequences of head trauma.
246.

Plaintiffs’ claims are typical of the claims of the other members of the Class and

Plaintiffs do not have any interests adverse to the Class.

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247.

Plaintiffs are adequate representatives of the Class, have retained competent

counsel experienced in litigation of this nature and will fairly and adequately protect the interests
of the Class.
248.

The prosecution of separate actions by individual members of the Class would

create a risk of inconsistent or varying adjudications with respect to individual members of the
Class which would establish incompatible standards of conduct for the party opposing the Class.
249.
litigation.

Plaintiffs anticipate that there will be no difficulty in the management of this
A class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient

adjudication of this controversy.
250.

The NHL acted on grounds generally applicable to the Class with respect to the

matters complained of herein, thereby making appropriate the relief sought herein with respect to
the Class as a whole.
COUNT I - NEGLIGENCE
251.

Plaintiffs incorporate by reference all paragraphs, except under other Counts, as

if fully set forth herein.
252.

The NHL had and has a duty to take all reasonable steps to protect Plaintiffs and

the Class from the risks and consequences of head trauma. The NHL breached that duty to
protect Plaintiffs and the Class by creating, fostering, and promoting a culture of extreme
violence, including violence from fighting, where head trauma to Plaintiffs and the Class has
been and is imminent. The NHL breached that duty to protect Plaintiffs and the Class by failing
to establish reasonable rules and protocols for preventing head trauma and minimizing the effects
of head trauma, including during games and practice. What changes the NHL made to its violent
construct were purposefully-ineffective and solely calculated by the NHL to fool and mislead

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Plaintiffs, the Class and the public into ceasing investigation into the risks and consequences of
head trauma and the NHL’s wrongdoing.
253.

The NHL had a duty to take all reasonable steps to warn Plaintiffs and the Class

about the risks and consequences of head trauma. The NHL breached that duty to warn Plaintiffs
and the Class by failing to inform Plaintiffs and the Class about the scientific research on the
negative health effects of head trauma and about anecdotal evidence from the negative health
effects of head trauma from its own NHL players.
254.

As a direct and proximate result of the NHL’s breach of its duties, Plaintiffs and

the Class have and will continue to suffer injuries.
255.

Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and the Class, seek damages, including

punitive damages, and equitable relief against the NHL, including but not limited to medical
monitoring program that appropriately cares for former and current NHL players, as a result of
the lifelong health problems they have and will suffer as a result of the NHL’s misconduct.
COUNT II - INTENTIONAL HARM
256.

Plaintiffs incorporate by reference all paragraphs, except under other Counts, as if

fully set forth herein.
257.

The NHL has intentionally created, fostered, and promoted a culture of extreme

violence, including violence from fighting. The NHL has known that, due to such violence, head
trauma to Plaintiffs and the Class has been and is imminent. The NHL has known that head
trauma to Plaintiffs and the Class has and will have devastating and long-term negative health
effects. Despite this knowledge and to maintain its revenue stream from its violent construct, the
NHL has and does intentionally subject Plaintiffs and the Class to head trauma.
258.

The NHL purposefully failed to establish reasonable rules and protocols for

preventing head trauma and minimizing the effects of head trauma, including during games and
- 107 -

practice. What changes the NHL made to its violent construct were purposefully-ineffective and
solely calculated by the NHL to fool and mislead Plaintiffs, the Class and the public into ceasing
investigation into the risks and consequences of head trauma and the NHL’s wrongdoing.
259.

The NHL failed to inform Plaintiffs and the Class about the scientific research on

the negative health effects of head trauma and about anecdotal evidence from the negative health
effects of head trauma from its own NHL players.
260.

As a direct and proximate result of the NHL’s misconduct, Plaintiffs and the Class

have and will continue to suffer injuries.
261.

Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and the Class, seek damages, including

punitive damages, and equitable relief against the NHL, including but not limited to medical
monitoring program that appropriately cares for former and current NHL players, as a result of
the lifelong health problems they have and will suffer as a result of the NHL’s misconduct.
COUNT III - FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT
262.

Plaintiffs incorporate by reference all paragraphs, except under other Counts, as if

fully set forth herein.
263.

The NHL has intentionally created, fostered, and promoted a culture of extreme

violence, including violence from fighting. The NHL has known that, due to such violence, head
trauma to Plaintiffs and the Class has been and is imminent. The NHL has known that head
trauma to Plaintiffs and the Class has devastating and long-term negative health consequences.
Despite this knowledge and to maintain its revenue stream from its violent construct, the NHL
has failed and continues to fail to inform Plaintiffs and the Class about the risks and
consequences of head trauma.

- 108 -

264.

Inter alia, the NHL failed to inform Plaintiffs and the Class about the scientific

research on the negative health effects of head trauma and about anecdotal evidence from the
negative health effects of head trauma from its own NHL players.
265.

The NHL purposefully failed to establish reasonable rules and protocols for

preventing head trauma and minimizing the effects of head trauma, including during games and
practice. What changes the NHL made to its violent construct were purposefully-ineffective and
solely calculated by the NHL to fool and mislead Plaintiffs, the Class and the public into ceasing
investigation into the risks and consequences of head trauma and the NHL’s wrongdoing.
266.

As a direct and proximate result of the NHL’s misconduct, Plaintiffs and the Class

have and will continue to suffer injuries. The damages suffered by Plaintiffs and the Class are
not attributable to any of lack of diligence in investigation.
267.

Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and the Class, seek damages, including

punitive damages, and equitable relief against the NHL, including but not limited to medical
monitoring program that appropriately cares for former and current NHL players, as a result of
the lifelong health problems they have and will suffer as a result of the NHL’s misconduct.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, the Plaintiffs and the Class pray for judgment as follows:
A.

Granting an injunction and/or other equitable relief against the NHL and in favor

of Plaintiffs for medical monitoring;
B.

Awarding Plaintiffs compensatory damages against the NHL;

C.

Awarding Plaintiffs punitive damages against the NHL;

D.

Awarding Plaintiffs’ such other relief as may be appropriate;

E.

Certifying a class action, appointing Plaintiffs as Lead Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs’

Counsel as Lead Counsel; and
- 109 -

F.

Granting Plaintiffs their prejudgment interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.
JURY TRIAL DEMAND

Plaintiffs demand a trial by jury on all issues so triable in this Complaint.
DATED: April 11, 2014

ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN
& DOWD LLP
SAMUEL H. RUDMAN
ROBERT M. ROTHMAN
DAVID A. ROSENFELD
MARIO ALBA

/s/ Samuel H. Rudman
SAMUEL H. RUDMAN
58 South Service Road, Suite 200
Melville, NY 11747
Telephone: [phone]
631/367-1173 (fax)
ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN
& DOWD LLP
PAUL J. GELLER
CULLIN A. O’BRIEN
STUART A. DAVIDSON
MARK J. DEARMAN
KATHLEEN B. DOUGLAS
JANINE D. ARNO
120 East Palmetto Park Road, Suite 500
Boca Raton, FL 33432
Telephone: [phone]
561/750-3364 (fax)
DAVID I. LEVINE, ESQ.
110 S.E. 1st Ave.
20th Floor
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
Telephone: [phone]
954/337-2307 (fax)

- 110 -

THE COHEN LAW FIRM
JORDAN M. COHEN
333 15th Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: [phone]
619/241-2601 (fax)

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

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