Nine former tough-guy players cross-checked the National Hockey League on Thursday with a lawsuit alleging the league has done little to prevent concussions compared to its counterparts worldwide.
The class-action suit — filed in Manhattan federal court — comes six months after the NHL was slapped with a similar concussion-related suit in Washington that now has more than 200 plaintiffs and is still pending.
The new suit aims more at trying to expose a longtime "violent" culture in the NHL as compared to other leagues, where ice space is larger and fighting is frowned upon.
"As opposed to other elite ice hockey organizations, like the European ice hockey leagues and the Olympics, the NHL has promoted an extremely physical game of ice hockey," says the suit filed on behalf of ex-Ranger and league journeyman Dan LaCouture and eight other former players claiming to be suffering the long-term affects of head trauma.
"Through enclosed rink designs and lax rules for fighting, the NHL vectored a culture of extreme violence and packaged the spoils to adoring fans."
The suit also alleges that "iconic violence has thrived" throughout the NHL's history, exemplified by the famed Flyers "Broad Street Bullies" teams of 70s and 80s, and other notable 'enforcers' and 'goons' throughout the NHL's many different eras."
The other ex-players suing are Dan Keczmer, Jack Carlson, Richard Brennan, Brad Maxwell, Michael Peluso, Allan Rourke, Tom Younghans and Scott Bailey.
Carlson, who played in both the NHL and defunct WHA, has two brothers, Steve and Jeff, who were part of the infamously dirty Hanson Brothers trio featured the hockey cult flick "Slap Shot."
The suit claims the plaintiffs have been and "will continue to be damaged" by the NHL's longtime failure to warn players about the risks of head trauma or institute policies preventing it.
For instance, LaCouture, who played in 348 NHL games in which he was involved in 52 fights, "suffers from headaches, irritability, sensitivity to light, change of personality, and depression" because of his head injuries, the suit says. LaCounture, 36, retired in 2011.
Not helping the 110-page suit's credibility, however, are several eye-popping errors. This includes a false claim that hockey legend Gordie Howe — who suffered many concussions during a storied playing career — died in 2009 from a neurodegenerative illness called Pick's disease. His wife, Colleen, died from the disease.
The suit also bizarrely tries to connect Russell Crowe's role in "Gladiator" to hockey by claiming his character led a platoon against Nordic warriors while "ice hockey has some of its roots in Nordic tradition."
It also oddly points out that Jason Voorhees, the "evil villain" in "Friday the 13th," sported a hockey goalie mask.
In response to the suit, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly issued a statement saying the league remains "completely satisfied with our record on player safety, including as it relates to head injuries and brain trauma."
"We do not believe the new complaint provides any valid basis for liability or damages as against the National Hockey League, and we intend to defend the case and others that may follow it vigorously," he said.
Lawyers for the plaintiff ex-players did not return messages.
The NFL last year agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits filed by more than 4,500 former football players who developed dementia and other concussion-related ailments during their careers. Nevertheless, a federal judge in Philadelphia rejected preliminary approval of the settlement in January, saying she was concerned it wasn't enough money to deal the players' health issues.
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