|
 Montador, found dead in his Toronto-area home in February at age 35,
played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League with six teams and
the defenseman sustained 15 documented concussions during his
career, according to the statement of claim.
The suit, filed on behalf of his son, Morrison, and other family
members by the player's father, Paul, said Montador suffered from
depression, memory problems and erratic behavior and engaged in 69
on-ice fist fights during his NHL career.
"During regular season NHL games, preseason NHL games, NHL practices
and morning skates prior to NHL games, Steven Montador sustained
thousands of sub-concussive brain traumas and multiple concussions,
many of which were undiagnosed and/or undocumented," the suit
claimed.
The league has not yet filed a statement of defense.
"The NHL continues to ignore the lasting problems caused by multiple
head traumas suffered by its players," Paul Montador said in a
statement sent to The Sports Network.
"Tragedies like that of my son Steven will continue until the
problem is addressed. The NHL knows, but denies, that years of
repeated head injuries cause long-term brain problems."
Montador played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Florida
Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres during his
NHL career.
BRAIN DONATED
The Canadian defenseman decided several years before his death to
donate his brain to the Canadian Sports Concussion Project.
In May, three months after his death, researchers confirmed
Montador's brain had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the
brain disease that has been linked to repeated head trauma.
The suit alleged the NHL had long known that its players were
susceptible to developing CTE and other degenerative brain diseases
as a result of the fighting it allowed and promoted and "steadfastly
refused to eliminate from its game."
[to top of second column] |
Many of the same claims have been made by a group of more than 100
former NHL players who charge that the league put its financial
interests over the health of the players.
The Montador family is represented by lawyer Bill Gibbs, who is also
representing the family of Derek Boogaard, a one-time NHL enforcer
who died in 2011 at age 28 following an overdose of alcohol and
painkillers.
Researchers found Boogaard's brain also showed signs of CTE.
The Montador lawsuit assails the NHL for continuing to market and
profit from fighting.
"The NHL still refuses to eliminate fighting," the lawsuit says.
"Eliminating fighting is a rules issue that can be easily
implemented by the NHL without any collective bargaining."
In April, the National Football League reached a settlement of a
lawsuit brought by former players over concussions that could cost
the NFL $1 billion and a U.S. federal appeals court is mulling
whether the settlement figure is sufficient.
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Mark
Lamport-Stokes)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
