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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
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Violence Costs Hockey Player an Eye

CHICAGO (CN) - A minor league hockey player was blinded in one eye when the league let a violent team take the ice, and a rival player speared him in the eye with a stick, a player claims in court.

Kyler Moje sued the Federal Hockey League, and Oakley, Inc. in federal court.

"On February 10, 2012, plaintiff Kyler Moje was playing in a professional hockey game on the Danville Dashers' team and against the Akwesasne Warriors," the complaint begins.

The Danville Dashers minor league team, of Illinois, is a member of the Federal Hockey League, which has four teams across the United States. The Akwesasne Warriors franchise, based at Akwesasne in Mohawk Nation Territory near Cornwall, Ontario, disbanded after the 2012 season.

"During game play, Michael Stacey, a player for the Akwesasne Warriors, made an illegal maneuver by lifting his hockey stick and thrusting the blade end forcefully under Kyler Moje's helmet," the lawsuit states.

"During the game and at the time of Mr. Stacey's attack, plaintiff was wearing a helmet visor manufactured by defendant Oakley, Inc. which was correctly affixed to his helmet and not 'flipped up' to expose his eyes.

"Mr. Stacey's blade ultimately penetrated plaintiff's eye, blinding him."

Weeks before this game, four Akwesasne players were handed multiple game suspensions for starting a fight with the Cape Cod Bluefins, according to the (Upstate New York) Daily Courier-Observer. Stacey was given a one-game suspension for his role in the melee.

Moje claims the Federal Hockey League was negligent for allowing the Akwesasne Warriors to play the game, given its "knowledge of the Akwesasne Warriors' history of violent and illegal game play, although it knew or should have known that permitting game play on the day in question could cause injury to persons lawfully participating in league play therein."

He claims the league failed to enforce suspensions for violent play, and allowed suspended players to re-enter game play before they served their entire suspension.

Moje seeks damages for negligence, breach of warranty, pain and suffering, medical expenses and product liability

He is represented by Dean Caras.

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