Pursued by the family of the late Steve Montador, the National Hockey League (NHL) asked the author of his biography, Ken Dryden, to provide him with interview notes and recordings.
Former Montreal Canadiens goalkeeper and ex-president of the Toronto Maple Leafs published the book The Life and Death of Steve Montador and the Future of Hockey in 2017. According to reports by the TSN network, the league filed a document in a federal court in Minneapolis on Monday to order the surrender of the equipment held by Dryden.
Montador, who died at the age of 35 on February 15, 2015, suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy at the time of his death, according to the results of analyzes carried out by specialized Canadian researchers making links between concussions and the practice of sport. . After the confirmation of these conclusions, three months after the departure of the former defender, his family launched a lawsuit in December of the same year. However, the proceedings were suspended while the NHL defended itself against a class action. They were able to resume following a settlement in this case which prevents nearly 300 ex-hockey players from chasing the NHL in exchange for an amount of US $ 22,000 per person.
“Dryden’s book contains several details relevant to the claimant’s allegations,” said the NHL, as reported by TSN. Dryden has a lot of information on physical injuries like concussions and the beating that Montador suffered, including those preceding his career in the NHL. There were also the symptoms that flowed from that, as well as the battles involving Montador before he joined the NHL and outside of hockey, as did the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Before her career, there were depression, anxiety and other sources of stress, including difficult personal relationships. ”
NHL tries to justify itself
The Bettman circuit takes no responsibility for the death of the hockey player, stating that the Montador’s lawyer does not oppose his request and that the Dryden lawyer has not taken a position in this regard.
“There are no readily available alternative sources for these documents, which are unique in that they were created by and for Dryden under circumstances which cannot be repeated,” added the NHL in its written text.
The deceased’s family claims that the ex-back suffered at least 11 concussions – according to existing documents – in the NHL, including four in 12 weeks in 2012. For his part, neurosurgeon Charles Tator affirmed during a hearing of the federal government that by examining the player’s files, it is rather 19 injuries of the kind he would have suffered.
“Any damage or injury to Montador was caused, totally or partially, by his lack of precautions and his fault. There were conditions already in place and the carelessness of the others is not the responsibility of the National Hockey League, “replied the NHL in response to the Montador’s pursuit.
Dryden, for his part, called on Commissioner Gary Bettman in recent years regarding the prevention and awareness to be made by the NHL to put an end to head injuries in hockey.
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