Bettman’s stance on concussions reaches Congress

By The Associated Press

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s reluctance to link hits to the head in hockey with a degenerative brain disease found in several deceased former players has reached Congress.

League attorneys have filed Bettman’s letter to Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal with U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, who is presiding over a class-action concussion lawsuit against the NHL. Bettman’s 24-page response to Blumenthal was dated Friday. He said research on the link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy “remains nascent.”

The Connecticut Democrat had written June 23 to Bettman about the league’s stance on CTE.

Blumenthal cited in his letter the discovery of CTE in the brains of six former players after their deaths in recent years. He is the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on consumer protection, product safety, insurance and data security.

Bettman angered many former players last year with comments after the death of former NHL defenseman Steve Montador at age 35. Montador suffered from CTE, a diagnosis that can only be made after death. His family filed a lawsuit against the league that was eventually consolidated with the current class-action case.

In writing to Blumenthal, Bettman maintained a dismissive stance.

“The confusion in the press about CTE — no doubt further fueled by plaintiffs’ counsel in the NHL litigation — relates to the simple and incontrovertible fact that none of the brain studies conducted to date can, as a matter of accepted scientific methodology, prove anything about causation, a primary subject of your letter,” Bettman said.

Red Wings

Detroit greed to a twoyear, $8 million contract with goaltender Petr Mrazek. The Red Wings announced the deal Wednesday. Mrazek has emerged as Detroit’s top goalie, beating out Jimmy Howard. Mrazek, 24, was 27-16-3 in the 2015-16 season with a 2.33 goals-against average in a career-high 54 games. Howard has become expendable as a backup with three years left on his $31.8 million, six-year contract.

Hurricanes

Carolina signed coach Bill Peters to a contract extension through the 2018-19 season. Peters has a record of 65-72-27 in two seasons while leading the Hurricanes’ rebuilding project.