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As many as 10,000 players formerly under NHL contracts and their family members may pursue court cases against the league, court documents say, alleging it has promoted a culture of violence over the past decades but has failed to established proper rules and protocols for preventing head injuries. The suggestion that so many former players may sue the league comes in a statement of claim filed this week in Minnesota by Cory Larose, a New Brunswick-born forward who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Wild in 2000 but only played seven games in the NHL with the New York Rangers in 2003. Larose, 39, played 425 games in the American Hockey League between 2001 and 2009. He now lives in Maple Grove, Minn., after suffering "multiple head traumas during his NHL career that were improperly diagnosed and treated by the NHL. Mr. Larose was never warned by the NHL of the negative health effects of head trauma, and still suffers from the effects of that head trauma." He is seeking damages of more than $5 million, the lawsuit says. Larose is the latest former NHL player to sue for concussion-related issues. The first group of players included former Maple Leafs stars Gary Leeman and Rick Vaive, who sued the league in November demanding damages and league-financed medical monitoring and treatment for injuries the players said they suffered because of their NH: careers. Vaive later dropped out of the lawsuit. "The NHL purposefully failed to establish reasonable rules and protocols for preventing head trauma and minimizing the effects of head trauma, including during games and practice," Laroses lawsuit says. "What changes the NHL made to its violent construct were purposefully ineffective and solely calculated by the NHL to mislead (Larose)...and the public into ceasing investigations into the risks and consequences of head trauma and the NHLs wrongdoing." The court filing says Larose is seeking to sue as part of a larger class of litigants that include approximately 10,000 former players who include any living players who signed an NHL contract, their spouses and dependents, the estates of deceased players, who have retired formally or informally from playing pro hockey in the NHL and who are not seeking active employment as players with an NHL team. A lawyer involved in one of the concussions lawsuits against the NHL said the judge overseeing the cases is hosting a meeting next week to set out a schedule. The next step is for the league to file motions to dismiss the cases. If those are denied, then the litigants will ask for permission to certify the cases as a class action. If that is denied, then the cases would be heard individually, the lawyer said. Its unclear what kind of judgment the players might ultimately receive if they win the case. In a similar lawsuit filed on behalf of 20,000 former NFL players, the NFL agreed to pay about $700 million. That judgment was later amended, with the league agreeing to an unlimited settlement, based on the medical needs of the players. "In hockey, its a bit easier case to prove because of the fighting in the sport, and hockey players, the ones I have talked to, are generally worse off than the football players," Steven Silverman, a lawyer representing NHL players, told TSN. "There are a number of tragic cases in hockey and weve seen many cases where we have heard that former NHL trainers have been an owners former mechanic or something. They have had no medical qualifications. "But on the other hand, the NHL players have been less willing to come forward, so that makes it harder to predict a settlement number." Several similar lawsuits filed against the NHL have been moved from other venues and will be heard in Minnesota. "None of this is surprising," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told TSN. "Its extremely predictable and doesnt have any impact on exposure or likelihood of ultimate success on the merits." The claims of Larose and other players have not been proven in court and the NHL has yet to file its statement of defence. Javier Hernandez Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Jesus Molina Jersey . Brassard and Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris were battling for position in the crease when a nudge from Morris sent Brassard on top of Smith late in the third period. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamstore … o-jersey/. Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. Hector Herrera Jersey . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender. Oribe Peralta Jersey . - While a fast-paced offence has become more of a fixture in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs can still grind out games when needed. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Hunched over, vomiting into a bucket by his feet and retching loudly, Oscar Pistorius was vividly reminded at his murder trial Monday of the gruesome injuries he inflicted on his girlfriend when a pathologist described how the Olympian fatally shot her multiple times with bullets designed to cause maximum damage. The testimony by Prof. Gert Saayman, who performed the autopsy on Reeva Steenkamps body, was so graphic that it was not broadcast or reported live on social media by journalists under an order from Judge Thokozile Masipa. Saayman methodically listed the extent of the three main gunshot wounds Steenkamp suffered on Valentines Day last year when she was shot by the double-amputee runner in the right side of the head, the right hip and the right arm through a toilet cubicle door. The pathologist said Steenkamp, 29, was hit by special Black Talon bullets and that the head shot from Pistorius 9 mm pistol was probably almost instantly fatal, causing brain damage and multiple fractures to her skull. Bent over while sitting on a wooden bench, Pistorius vomited when Saayman reached his right hand up toward the right side of his own head to show the entrance and exit wounds in Steenkamps skull. Masipa briefly halted the testimony to ask chief defence lawyer Barry Roux to attend to his client. The judge later asked whether Pistorius was able to understand the proceedings as he sat with hands clasped over his ears, his body heaving. "Is your client fine?" the judge asked Roux. Roux replied: "Its not going to be fine." Roux said Pistorius reaction was not going to change. A dark bucket with a handle was placed at his feet. Pistorius vomited at least two other times and cried. He is charged with premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp and could face up to life in prison if convicted. The prosecution contends the shooting followed a loud argument between the couple. The defence maintains that he shot her by mistake, thinking she was an intruder. Through the sounds of Pistorius retching in the dock, the pathologist testified that he was able to identify the ammunition from a bullet fragment lodged at the bottom of Steenkamps skull. The bullets were designed to expand on impact and cause severe damage. The hip and arm wounds were also severe, and the right arm was broken, the paathologist said, adding that any of the three gunshot wounds in isolation could have been fatal.dddddddddddd Saayman stood through his testimony to indicate the location of Steenkamps bullet wounds by touching his hand to his own head, arm and hip. He noted that Steenkamp also had a wound on her left hand, possibly from a bullet, and described abrasions and smaller injuries caused by splinters, which he said were consistent with bullets fired through a wooden object. Away from the courthouse, JC de Klerk, a forensic ballistic specialist who used to work for the South African police, agreed with Saayman that the headshot likely killed Steenkamp immediately. "If the doctor found a Black Talon bullet inside her head ... she would have died, I would say, not in seconds but in milliseconds," de Klerk told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. De Klerk said the bullets were rare in South Africa and designed to cause "excessive wounds." The detailed evidence regarding the injuries is important because, for one, Pistorius has claimed that Steenkamp was slumped over but alive when he eventually reached her after shooting her in error thinking she was a dangerous intruder. That appears unlikely given Saaymans testimony, but the pathologist did note that sometimes it takes a little time for a persons heart to stop after a devastating head injury. But his testimony also could harm the prosecutions claims that Steenkamp screamed during the shooting, unless prosecutors can show that the head shot was the last one to hit her. Saayman also said that judging by the food contents in her stomach, Steenkamp probably last ate no more than two hours before her death. Steenkamp was shot after 3 a.m., meaning she must have eaten after 1 a.m. That hinted at another possible wrinkle in Pistorius account because he claims the couple was in the bedroom by 10 p.m. Pistorius defence team has indicated it will submit its own autopsy report to support his claim that the killing was a tragic accident. If convicted on the murder charge, Pistorius, 27, could be sent to prison for at least 25 years before the chance of parole, the minimum time someone must serve if given a life sentence in South Africa. The judge will ultimately deliver the verdict and decide on any sentence. South Africa has no trial by jury. ' ' '