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Former NHL players say NHL should have protected them from concussions

When some former hockey players look back at their NHL careers, they say its through a filter of headaches, clouded memories and dizziness. Ten former players believe the league didn't do enough to protect them from concussions and they plan a class action lawsuit....
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The Current17:26Former NHL players feel NHL should have protected them from concussions - Nov 27, 2013
When some former hockey players look back at their NHL careers, they say its through a filter of headaches, clouded memories and dizziness. Ten former players believe the league didn't do enough to protect them from concussions and they plan a class action lawsuit.


Some NHL players believe their health took too fierce a hit when they played the game, and the league did not do enough to protect them from head injuries.

This is a dramatic week for hockey news, with Rogers Communications taking control of all NHL licensing rights in a 12-year deal that shuts out The Sports Network and reduces the CBC's role in airing the games.

The $5.2 billion dollar deal is certainly a lucrative one for the NHL, just as it faces a possible class action law suit from ten former players. The players believe the NHL did not do enough to protect them from concussions.

Players include former Toronto Maple Leafs Gary Leeman. He claims the League knew - or should have known - about evidence suggesting repeated head injuries have left players at a greater risk of illness or disability later in life.

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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden

And the former players say the League didn't do enough to protect them. A few months ago, the National Football League agreed to pay nearly $800 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players over concussion-related brain injuries.

Steven Silverman is representing ten retired NHL players in a new class-action lawsuit, alleging the League did too little to protect them from concussions. We reached him at his office in Baltimore, Maryland.

Former NHL superstar Ken Dryden worries a lot about concussions -- and not just for professional athletes. He believes everyone need to be able to play sports without taking extreme risks. But he isn't convinced a class action law suit will do much to solve the problem. We reached Ken Dryden in Fairfield, Connecticut.


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This segment was produced by The Current's Peter Mitton and Debbie Pacheco.

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