BRATISLAVA. “It was an assassination attempt,” Stefan Bengtzén, the sports director of the Swedish Brynäs IF hockey club, raged four years ago.
He reacted to the situation that happened in the Champions League match between the home team and Mannheim, Germany.
Just before the end of the match, the visiting Thomas Larkin hit the ground hard, but he refused the attention of the trainer and rejoined his teammates on the pitch. It caused a concussion and ended his playing career.
Former teammate Zdena Chára, with whom he enjoyed the Stanley Cup in 2011, tried to return to the ice, but the consequences of the collision prevented him from doing so.
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It was not a deliberate attack
Paille was guilty and sued Larkin for assault. He also claimed damages against the player and the German club in the amount of 500 thousand euros.
After almost four years, the case was ruled by the district court in Gävle. And maybe a little surprisingly in favor of Larkin.
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“All indications are that it was a collision that Thomas Larkin could not avoid and it was not an intentional attack. The prosecution had to be stopped,” the verdict said.
Larkin doesn’t even have to pay the amount mentioned.
“Daniel Paille has agreed to take part in hockey matches and has therefore, in principle, admitted that he may be at risk of injury during the game,” the court added.
The procedure was analyzed by professionals
Larkin’s lawyer Ulrik Smedberg said that if an uninterested person watches a video of the procedure only once, it looks ugly and the court’s decision may therefore be surprising for some.
However, he described the verdict as a total victory for sport.
“The district court did a thorough analysis, saw it slowly and had it analyzed by people who are professionals,” he said. Smedberg.
However, the joy of the judgment does not change the fact that they are very sad about what happened to Paillem and that he could not continue his career.
“However, it is not uncommon for hockey players to be forced to retire in sports after repeated concussions,” Smedberg added.
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