Former Red Wing Manny Legace Joins Concussion Lawsuit Against NHL
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Former Detroit Red Wings goaltender Manny Legace has joined the concussion lawsuit against the NHL. Originally filed in November 2013, the lawsuit contends the NHL did not do enough to protect players from head injuries.
The players suing are seeking monetary damages and increased medical monitoring, per ESPN.
The NHL reportedly said in court filings that players should have known the risks.
"Publicly available information related to concussions and their long-term effects, coupled with the events that had transpired – i.e., the players incurring head injuries – should have allowed (players) to put two and two together," the NHL wrote, according to TSN.
Legace played for Detroit from 1999 to 2006 and went 37-8 in his final season with the Red Wings.
Former Red Wing Joe Murphy is also among the players that have joined the suit. Detroit drafted Murphy first overall in 1986, and he played for the franchise for three seasons before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
"It is extremely important for all former NHLers to get on board with this case, because the recognition and treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injuries has been a serious problem for decades that the NHL needs to acknowledge and correct," Murphy stated in an October press release on the website of Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP, the law firm representing the players. "There are a lot of guys and families out there who are suffering but are afraid to speak out. These guys and their families need help, and it is up to all of the retired players to join in and show the League how important this issue is to all of us and how important it is to current and future players."
The lawsuit can be read in its entirety here.
