Tag Archives: hockey

Dennis Wideman of the Calgary Flames was suspended for 20 games after what looked like a brutal hit on linesman Don Henderson, but only after taking one himself. The NHLPA is set to appeal on his behalf, an appeal that comes down to whether or not a concussed Wideman met the tenets of Rule 40.2 regarding physical abuse of officials.

Each week The Sports Esquires keep track of the sports law headlines so you don’t have to. This week’s edition highlights the ongoing FIFA scandal and Sepp Blatter’s resignation, the UNC academic fraud allegations, and Tom Benson’s mental competency trial.

During the offseason, the NHL announced a number of rule changes that will take effect for the 2014-15 season. While these changes are mainly minor tweaks to current rules, they will have some effect on the play this season and will inevitably cause some unlucky team’s fans frustration after a late loss. With the NHL season starting this week, let’s take a moment to quickly review the most important changes.

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the world of sports law. The Sports Esquires rounds up the top stories in sports law as part of our effort to keep you informed about all that is happening behind the scenes of your favorite leagues and teams.

Last month, two more lawsuits were filed by former NHL players against the NHL alleging that the NHL failed to take adequate steps to protect players from the dangers of concussions and actively encouraged violence in the game in order to increase league revenues. With multiple class action lawsuits now filed against the NHL, the obvious comparison for most sports fans will be to the concussion litigation that the NFL faced beginning in 2011. So far, many of the arguments made by the former NHL players are similar to the arguments made by former NFL players. However, there are a number of differences between the two sports and leagues and how they have each addressed the concussion issue over the past decade. In the complaints filed against the NHL, it is apparent that some of the differences between the NHL and NFL could lead to very different results for the NHL litigation.