The parents of deceased NHL tough guy Derek Boogaard have filed a $9.8-million lawsuit against the NHL Players' Association, according to TMZ.
Len and Joanne Boogaard claim the union failed to take the proper steps to collect the balance of their 28-year-old son's contract with the New York Rangers -- totalling $4.8-million -- after his death. The parents are also demanding $5-million in punitive damages.
Boogaard died May 13, 2011, after consuming a fatal mixture of drugs and alcohol.
Boogaard's parents claim their son was addicted to prescription pills at the time of his death, partly because he was 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."
Feeling the NHL clubs played a role in Derek's addiction, the parents sought help from the NHLPA. The union promised to file a grievance to have the Rangers pay out the rest of Derek's four-year, $6.6-million contract that was signed in the summer of 2010. The NHLPA failed to file by the deadline and Boogaard's parents were unable to receive compensation.
A native of Saskatoon, Derek played in 277 NHL games for the Rangers and Wild. One of the league's premier enforcers, the 6-foot-7, 258-pound winger recorded three goals, 13 assists and 589 penalty minutes over six seasons.
