These lawyers deserve some time in the penalty box.
Attorneys for nine former NHL tough guys suing the league for allegedly failing to prevent concussions have amended their complaint to correct errors – including an assertion that hockey legend Gordie Howe is dead, and the misspelling of superstar Sidney Crobsy.
When filing the Manhattan federal court suit Thursday, the players’ legal team – led by Melville, NY-based Samuel Rudman – claimed in the complaint that Howe, who suffered various head injuries during his storied five-decade career, died in 2009 from a neurodegenerative illness called “Pick’s disease. ”
Howe, 86, is actually still very much alive. It was his wife, Colleen, who died from the disease.
In the amended version filed Friday night, the section about Howe being “dead” is removed. It was swapped for a line saying a “news outlet” – cited in a footnote as the Detriot Free Press – “recently reported that Howe is battling dementia.”
The NHL says it’s “completely satisfied” with its “record on player safety.”
Messages left with the lawyers for ex-Ranger Dan LaCouture, all-star defenseman Brad Maxwell and the other ex-players suing were not returned.
However, prior to correcting the complaint, one of the players’ lawyers, Cullin O’Brien, told The Sporting News the Howe error was due to “a misread of an article. ”
He also said the gaffe “doesn’t change the fact that Gordie Howe is suffering from long-term neurodegenerative consequences as a result of head traumas suffered in the NHL.”
He blamed Crosby’s first name being misspelled “Syndey” on a “typographical error.”
The new class-action suit comes after the NHL was slapped in November with a similar concussion-related federal suit in Washington DC, which now has more than 200 plaintiffs and is still pending.