Steve Montador wrongful death lawsuit against NHL to go to trial March 2025

A Cook County circuit court judge in Chicago, Ill., ruled Wednesday that the trial involving the lawsuit filed by the father of the late Steve Montador against the NHL will begin March 27, 2025.

TSN senior correspondent Rick Westhead was the first to report the news.

Paul Montador, Steve’s father, alleges the NHL promoted and profited off the sport’s inherent violence while not adequately providing the players with the proper resources to treat long-term brain injuries.

In December 2015, he filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the league in U.S. federal court. A judge dismissed some of the claims Paul Montador made, but said he could pursue a claim against the league in circuit court.

The present-day lawsuit alleges Steve Montador, who died at the age of 35 in February 2015, suffered at least 11 documented concussions during his career.

“The NHL, armed with vastly superior managerial, medical, legal, and other resources to gather, analyze, and understand sub-concussion, concussion and head injury data, failed to keep Steven Montador reasonably safe during his career and misled him on the permanent ramifications of brain trauma,” the lawsuit says, according to Westhead.

During his 14-year NHL career, the native of Vancouver, B.C., scored 33 goals and 98 assists for 131 points and 807 penalty minutes in 571 games played with the Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks.

Last March at the league’s GM meetings, a week after former NHL player Chris Simon committed suicide, Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli asked NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly if the NHL’s viewpoint on the link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy – better known as CTE – and repeated blows to the head has changed.

“No, I think the science is still lacking,” he said.