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TMZ claims that Derek Boogard’s family has sued the NHLPA

by George Malik on 09/21/12 at 09:46 PM ET
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Update: The NHLPA told the Associated Press that it has not been served with the suit, see more below: Via FriesenNHL on Twitter, and the perfect source for a Friday night hockey story after a week's worth of posturing from both the NHL and NHLPA--TMZ--the kings and queens of tabloid news, are reporting that Derek Boogard's family has filed a lawsuit against the NHLPA's substance abuse program for failing to prevent their son's death:

The parents of former NHL player Derek Boogaard -- who died last year -- have filed a $9.8 million lawsuit against the NHL Player's Association, claiming the org. FAILED to take the proper steps to help them collect the balance on Derek's NHL contract after he passed away. 28-year-old Derek died on May 13, 2011 from a fatal mixture of drugs and alcohol.

In the lawsuit, Derek's parents claim he was addicted to prescription pills at the time of his death ... partly because he had been prescribed "a multitude of narcotics and sleeping pills by both the team doctors, physicians, trainers, and dentists of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild."

Because Derek's parents believe the NHL teams are partly responsible for their son's death, they turned to the NHL PA which promised to help them file a grievance to get the Rangers to pay out the rest of Derek's multi-million dollar 4-year contract with the team.

But, according to the lawsuit, the NHL PA failed to file the grievance by the required deadline, so the Boogaards were unable to collect ... and now the Boogaards are PISSED.

Update: Per the Associated Press:

'We are saddened to read reports that the parents of the late Derek Boogaard have filed a lawsuit against the NHLPA,'' the union said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. ''We have not been served with or seen a copy of the complaint, but we are confident that there is no meritorious claim that can be made against the NHLPA in regard to Derek's tragic death. It is not appropriate to comment further at this time.''

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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