Former Leafs captain Rick Vaive wants name removed from NHL concussions lawsuit

TORONTO - Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rick Vaive has asked that his name be removed from the concussion lawsuit against the NHL.

Vaive's lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasn't provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents.

"Mr. Vaive misunderstood the nature of the proceeding being brought, and believed this claim was similar to the worker's compensation claim being advanced in California on behalf of several former NHL players," Whiffen said in a statement Thursday.

"Rick has no interest in suing the National Hockey League and has advised that he will not be pursuing the claim in Washington. He has therefore instructed me to take the necessary steps required in order to remove his name from the lawsuit."

Vaive was one of the 10 players named in the original concussion lawsuit, a list that has grown to more than 200, according to lawyers Steve Silverman and Mel Owens, who are at the forefront of the suit.

The other nine original players were Gary Leeman, Bradley Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richard Dunn, Warren Holmes, Robert Manno, Blair James Stewart, and Morris Titanic. Former New York Islanders centre Bob Bourne announced he joined the suit shortly after it was filed.

More than 4,500 former NFL players sued that league in a similar case that resulted in a settlement worth US$765 million.