OT: Former Ranger Dale Purinton Part of NHL Lawsuit

[Dagoon44]

https://thinkprogress.org/i-thought...oncussions-in-the-nhl-fc8a5e801c73#.9erl1h4t6


Kind of sad read. He hit rock bottom and fixing himself thank God. Former Enforcers have died and Players like Stephan Peat are suffering terrible. Sad side story of physical sports

Click to read more...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

It's sad, but it's interesting coming from the biggest fighting proponent on the board. Fighting can go the way of the dodo and I literally wouldn't bat an eye.

 

[Dagoon44]

It's sad, but it's interesting coming from the biggest fighting proponent on the board. Fighting can go the way of the dodo and I literally wouldn't bat an eye.

Please listen and read this.. The day of the goon died with the Boogy man.. I love tough in your face hockey guys like Mcilrath that can play.. Even i saw the goon age die.. just don't a team full of Staals and Fast type players.

Funny part as you know i was on the inside of Sather/torts and #94 did you read the part about the GM ignoring a request for help ? Umm at least 2 nd Rangers saying this

 

[Leslie Treff]

He says all hitting and contact should be minimized? Its one thing to advocate a ban on fighting, quite another to try to minimize hitting and all contact.

 

[Dagoon44]

[QUOTEBut Purinton knows that there is a long way to go. There needs to be room for everyone, not just the stars, to speak up about concussion symptoms without fear. There needs to be education from the youth to the pros. All hitting and contact needs to be minimized. Treatment should be mandatory for anyone experiencing troubles with drugs, alcohol, or mental health, and guys need to be monitored at all times as they try to recover, because isolation is the worst thing for someone who is struggling][/QUOTE]

i think he is speaking about youth hockey there

 

[Blais to Win]

I have a problem with laying all this at the feet of the NHL. Doctors need to be held accountable for allowing addiction to take root and not having a plan for if it does.

 

[eco's bones]

The problem with the NHL is it wants to walk away from all this like it had nothing to do with the problem. Bettman's quote in the article is telling--the NHL acting contrary to it afterwards. The NHL makes a lot of profit and its owners are all super wealthy--they should step forward and own it and they can afford to help these former players out. This isn't all that far removed from the US Govt. trying to walk away from its Agent Orange or Gulf Syndrome veterans and it's disgusting to me.

I read an article a few years ago about Purinton coaching in the BCHL--which he had been doing for a couple-three years at that point and it seemed as if he had his act together. And then I heard about this thing last year and I thought--what the ****!--but apparently he was having a lot of issues all along. I watched a video of Mike Peluso and Dan LaCouture I think it was last year. Peluso is really ****ed up and I hate the ****ing Devils probably as much as any team in the NHL but that was very hard to watch.

 

[Avery16]

https://thinkprogress.org/i-thought...oncussions-in-the-nhl-fc8a5e801c73#.9erl1h4t6


Kind of sad read. He hit rock bottom and fixing himself thank God. Former Enforcers have died and Players like Stephan Peat are suffering terrible. Sad side story of physical sports

Was worried when I read about the burglary. Glad he's at the end at the tunnel, hopefully.

 

[Nickmo82]

Colour me ignorant, but who were the "three prominent young defensemen <who> died in short succession in 2011"?

 

[eco's bones]

Colour me ignorant, but who were the "three prominent young defensemen <who> died in short succession in 2011"?

I think they're referring to Belak, Booggard and Rypien of whom only Belak was a defenseman and none of whom were prominent or young at least in hockey terms. Rypien was kind of young I guess. Booggard it's pretty questionable if that was a suicide or an accidental overdose. Steve Montador a couple years ago. Roman Lyashenko.

Montador could fight and I think he had a few concussions but fighting wasn't his main thing--dealing with life after hockey seemed to be an issue. Belak, Booggard and Rypien fighting was a main or the main thing. A lot of these guys were always on the edge. They had to do what they did well and deal with their injuries or they weren't going to keep their jobs. Several years in a row of that is not necessarily a fun thing as Purinton points out.

Probert died really young as well.

 

[NCRanger]

[QUOTEBut Purinton knows that there is a long way to go. There needs to be room for everyone, not just the stars, to speak up about concussion symptoms without fear. There needs to be education from the youth to the pros. All hitting and contact needs to be minimized. Treatment should be mandatory for anyone experiencing troubles with drugs, alcohol, or mental health, and guys need to be monitored at all times as they try to recover, because isolation is the worst thing for someone who is struggling]

i think he is speaking about youth hockey there[/QUOTE]

One problem, and I know I'll catch holy hell for this, if kids aren't taught how to hit and receive a hit properly, when they actually start hitting, it will be a lot more dangerous.

Part of the problem in the NFL with concussions is the improper tackling technique. Kids are not taught how to drive with the shoulder and hips. It's all about laying a hit. Body checks in hockey are the same.

Fighting. No. Kids don't need to be fighting.

 

[Lion Hound]

Dale was one crazy dude on the ice. Very unpredictable. Sad to see he is going through a tough time. I used to go to see Dale play with the pack during their Calder run. He was a big part of that team.

I watched the show on Steven Peat as well. Tough to see him like that. Add Chris Nilan to that list of former enforcers that really had a hard time outside the NHL.

 

[Blais to Win]

I agree that the NHL should have a way to help these guys when their playing days are over. I mean, they gave their all for their teams. It would be a very small cost to them overall, I'm sure.

I don't excuse the medical profession for medicating these guys to the point of addiction and giving them clean bills of health to play, however. That's the true crime here, especially because the NHL can just say that the experts told them it was all ok. They take a hothead young guy who fights for a living and medicate him to the point of no return so he can keep sliding out on the ice day in day out, concussion or no.

What he needed was help learning to save, invest and think about when his knuckles will no longer punch his ticket.

These guys are also complicit in playing along. I wouldn't stand for a job that required me to be concussed 18 times, as, to follow up on what Eco's Bones said, Dan LaCouture did. I would just go elsewhere. LaCouture wanted to play hockey and adopted a role that was asked of him. That decision is on him.He made money off his decision. He had the limelight, as it was, while he threw down. That's his choice - bask in it or maybe coach high school hockey.

For Purinton and others to finally, at the end of a terrible road, turn and point the finger at the NHL is just wrong, especially since they seek financial compensation in the form of a lawsuit. There is plenty of blame to go around on all sides, but something about a guy like Purinton going to Congress and pointing the finger of blame at the league just sounds like scapegoating and looking for a way to get those millions he could never have earned while playing.

 

[JHS]

I agree that the NHL should have a way to help these guys when their playing days are over. I mean, they gave their all for their teams. It would be a very small cost to them overall, I'm sure.

I don't excuse the medical profession for medicating these guys to the point of addiction and giving them clean bills of health to play, however. That's the true crime here, especially because the NHL can just say that the experts told them it was all ok. They take a hothead young guy who fights for a living and medicate him to the point of no return so he can keep sliding out on the ice day in day out, concussion or no.

What he needed was help learning to save, invest and think about when his knuckles will no longer punch his ticket.

These guys are also complicit in playing along. I wouldn't stand for a job that required me to be concussed 18 times, as, to follow up on what Eco's Bones said, Dan LaCouture did. I would just go elsewhere. LaCouture wanted to play hockey and adopted a role that was asked of him. That decision is on him.He made money off his decision. He had the limelight, as it was, while he threw down. That's his choice - bask in it or maybe coach high school hockey.

For Purinton and others to finally, at the end of a terrible road, turn and point the finger at the NHL is just wrong, especially since they seek financial compensation in the form of a lawsuit. There is plenty of blame to go around on all sides, but something about a guy like Purinton going to Congress and pointing the finger of blame at the league just sounds like scapegoating and looking for a way to get those millions he could never have earned while playing.

I do not believe it should fall on the NHL to support players once they retire. Anyone who plays professional sports knows the risks associated with the game. They knowingly assume the risks and therefore, can not go to the league afterwards and claim that the league should have protected them from those risks. That's simply not how society should work. Now, if a player is struggling to transition into life outside of the NHL, there is an obligation to help that player, but that help should be more programmatic and designed to give the player a chance to develop another skill or something along those lines. It's silly for these players to sue the NHL as it looks like a money grab to lots of people. I'd be more interested in hearing about why they knowingly attempted to make a living by being essentially human punching bags on skates and are now claiming that they do not want that life for others. It's a confusing stance at best.

 

[nyr2k2]

I do not believe it should fall on the NHL to support players once they retire. Anyone who plays professional sports knows the risks associated with the game. They knowingly assume the risks and therefore, can not go to the league afterwards and claim that the league should have protected them from those risks. That's simply not how society should work. Now, if a player is struggling to transition into life outside of the NHL, there is an obligation to help that player, but that help should be more programmatic and designed to give the player a chance to develop another skill or something along those lines. It's silly for these players to sue the NHL as it looks like a money grab to lots of people. I'd be more interested in hearing about why they knowingly attempted to make a living by being essentially human punching bags on skates and are now claiming that they do not want that life for others. It's a confusing stance at best.

Most "top-notch" employers provide retiree health care and other wellness services. The NHL shouldn't be any different. My employer provides no-cost, comprehensive retiree health coverage for the remainder of the employee's life once they retire, and upon their death it is still extended to any surviving spouse. You serve the organization and we take care of you in retirement. For professional athletes, they put their bodies on the line, generating billions for their employers, they ought to be taken care of as well.

 

[nyr2k2]

I agree that the NHL should have a way to help these guys when their playing days are over. I mean, they gave their all for their teams. It would be a very small cost to them overall, I'm sure.

I don't excuse the medical profession for medicating these guys to the point of addiction and giving them clean bills of health to play, however. That's the true crime here, especially because the NHL can just say that the experts told them it was all ok. They take a hothead young guy who fights for a living and medicate him to the point of no return so he can keep sliding out on the ice day in day out, concussion or no.

What he needed was help learning to save, invest and think about when his knuckles will no longer punch his ticket.

These guys are also complicit in playing along. I wouldn't stand for a job that required me to be concussed 18 times, as, to follow up on what Eco's Bones said, Dan LaCouture did. I would just go elsewhere. LaCouture wanted to play hockey and adopted a role that was asked of him. That decision is on him.He made money off his decision. He had the limelight, as it was, while he threw down. That's his choice - bask in it or maybe coach high school hockey.

For Purinton and others to finally, at the end of a terrible road, turn and point the finger at the NHL is just wrong, especially since they seek financial compensation in the form of a lawsuit. There is plenty of blame to go around on all sides, but something about a guy like Purinton going to Congress and pointing the finger of blame at the league just sounds like scapegoating and looking for a way to get those millions he could never have earned while playing.

The thing is, a guy like Purinton shouldn't have made anything from the NHL. He wasn't an NHL player. Except the NHL somewhat embraced the enforcer side show and certain elements would actively encourage you to go that route. Even if the guys "should have known better" or whatever, if your employer encourages you to engage in that type of highly risky activity then they're at least partly liable for the outcome. No one can walk away claiming they're truly innocent in the matter.

That said, these lawsuits are how progress is actually made. This probably ends with some sort of retired player treatment fund being established. It seems like a few guys who took a risk now being greedy by going back to plead ignorance to the dangers (and maybe it is), but it will likely have a bigger impact than that, something that impacts a lot of guys moving forward. So I'm good with this. Sometimes litigation is what it takes to force change.

 

[JHS]

Most "top-notch" employers provide retiree health care and other wellness services. The NHL shouldn't be any different. My employer provides no-cost, comprehensive retiree health coverage for the remainder of the employee's life once they retire, and upon their death it is still extended to any surviving spouse. You serve the organization and we take care of you in retirement. For professional athletes, they put their bodies on the line, generating billions for their employers, they ought to be taken care of as well.

Absolutely disagree. Your employer employs you, you work for them, they compensate you for your work, and they provide you with health insurance as a benefit. That health insurance part is simply because of a convoluted Govermental regulation that health insurance would be connected to your employer( and I'll add that you situation of the insurance being extended to any living loved one seems really nice and you are fortunate.)

That's cooperate America though- this situation occurred in the NHL with players, who are essentially independent contractors, working and assuming the risks. These players knew hockey was dangerous, chose to assume those risks, engaged in the risks willingly, were financially compensated for those risks and even in spite of all that, are now still claiming someone should have protected them from those risks that they fully knew were there. I can't get behind that.

Look I don't see any reason for the NHL to turn its back on these guys-- in reality though each team that employed them should be responsible not the league at large. To say though, that the NHL should take care of these guys is crazy. No one forced them to fight and no one forced them to engage in the risky behavior they participated in. You can't come crawling back after something goes bad and say, "someone should have stopped me from the bad thing. I can't be held responsible for the bad thing happening because it's the persons fault for not stopping me first." 5 year old understand this point but it's always so confusing why adults often forget this.

 

[nyr2k2]

They are absolutely not independent contractors, which is one of the main reasons why they're allowed to unionize.

And the reality is, people actually DIDN'T know just how dangerous things truly were. We STILL don't fully understand the dangers associated with contact sports. That's why you're only now starting to see NFL players who should be entering their peak years instead choosing to walk away with their health. All this stuff with concussions and CTE, it hasn't really gained mainstream acceptance until recently. Look at the way the NFL ****ed up with their concussion cover up.

The teams individually and the league overall has encouraged fighting and physical play. Look at the old hit tapes and fight videos the league used to sponsor. Some of the stuff in there that as a kid would have me laughing and clapping now frightens me. Did the league know how truly dangerous this was? Again, the NFL did, hid information from the mainstream media, and actively tried to suppress studies linking repeated head trauma to concussions and CTE. Their actions were borderline criminal. I have no idea if the NHL engaged in anything similar. Regardless, they profited off of the violence right along with the players and as such should help clean up the mess.

 

[Leetch66]

The problem with the NHL is it wants to walk away from all this like it had nothing to do with the problem. Bettman's quote in the article is telling--the NHL acting contrary to it afterwards. The NHL makes a lot of profit and its owners are all super wealthy--they should step forward and own it and they can afford to help these former players out. This isn't all that far removed from the US Govt. trying to walk away from its Agent Orange or Gulf Syndrome veterans and it's disgusting to me.

I read an article a few years ago about Purinton coaching in the BCHL--which he had been doing for a couple-three years at that point and it seemed as if he had his act together. And then I heard about this thing last year and I thought--what the ****!--but apparently he was having a lot of issues all along. I watched a video of Mike Peluso and Dan LaCouture I think it was last year. Peluso is really ****ed up and I hate the ****ing Devils probably as much as any team in the NHL but that was very hard to watch.

I think that was part of a Canadian TV W5 episode . Something along those lines . It indeed was sad to watch...everybody should watch it . I love the rough stuff as much as anybody but when you watch what these guys did night in and out it is no wonder their brains are mush and damaged . Peluso is hurting really bad ....I urge everybody that watches hockey to find and watch this video . http://www.bellmedia.ca/pr/press/w5...l-players-head-injuries-saturday-february-13/

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I'm glad he's starting to get his life together but the reality is Purinton was a disgrace on the ice.

 

[JHS]

They are absolutely not independent contractors, which is one of the main reasons why they're allowed to unionize.

And the reality is, people actually DIDN'T know just how dangerous things truly were. We STILL don't fully understand the dangers associated with contact sports. That's why you're only now starting to see NFL players who should be entering their peak years instead choosing to walk away with their health. All this stuff with concussions and CTE, it hasn't really gained mainstream acceptance until recently. Look at the way the NFL ****ed up with their concussion cover up.

The teams individually and the league overall has encouraged fighting and physical play. Look at the old hit tapes and fight videos the league used to sponsor. Some of the stuff in there that as a kid would have me laughing and clapping now frightens me. Did the league know how truly dangerous this was? Again, the NFL did, hid information from the mainstream media, and actively tried to suppress studies linking repeated head trauma to concussions and CTE. Their actions were borderline criminal. I have no idea if the NHL engaged in anything similar. Regardless, they profited off of the violence right along with the players and as such should help clean up the mess.

If an NHL player who grew up playing the sport somehow escaped te knowledge that playing hockey was dangerous, that person then must have been incredibly ignorant.

The NHL has not responsibility to educate the people who play their sport on the risks associated with the game. The people themselves do.

The philosophy of "others need to take care of me because I can't take care of myself" will literally eventually be the downfall of the entire country. But again, people like Dale Puriton deserve their millions because they were ignorant and chose not to see what was right in front of there face....???? Please, I do t think so!

 

[HFBS]

I'm glad he's starting to get his life together but the reality is Purinton was a disgrace on the ice.

Which brings us to a different reality. Blame the NHL, NFL, boxing, or any other sport but the truth is that most of these guys are fit for only menial low paying jobs and they go for the brass ring by playing sports. They know the risks and no one makes them do it. They sue after they are done for the same reason: money. That's it. The rich NHL owners are no more greedy than the no skill goon trying for his one chance to hit the lottery.