Lindros files lawsuit against former referee Paul Stewart

[nuckin_futz]

Eric Lindros has launched a $3 million defamation lawsuit against one-time NHL referee Paul Stewart and the Huffington Post, after Stewart wrote a column for the online news website that allegedly made the former Philadelphia Flyers star forward look like a "dickhead."

In documents filed in an Ontario court, Lindros says his reputation has been sullied after Stewart wrote about his poor on-ice relationship with Lindros, which was capped by an incident when Lindros allegedly tore up posters he was asked by Stewart to autograph for a charity.

Lindros's claims have not been proven in court and the Huffington Post has not filed a statement of defence. Lindros's lawyer Geoff Shaw said in an interview that Stewart has served him with a statement of defence, although it has not yet been been added to the public court record.

In an emailed statement, Huffington Post Canada managing editor Kenny Yum wrote, "This is before our lawyers and I can't comment." Stewart, reached in the U.S., declined to discuss the case. "I don't have anything to say," he said. "I don't have a comment."

Lindros has asked a court to award him $2 million in general damages and another $1 million in aggravated damages. He has also asked the court for an injunction that would prevent Stewart, the Huffington Post, and its U.S. owner AOL, from continuing to publish Stewart's allegedly defamatory statements.

Stewart, who is the only U.S.-born citizen to have played and refereed in the NHL, has been a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post since he retired as a referee in 2003.

In a July 16, 2014, column headlined "Hecklers, Hooligans and the Striped-Shirted Maitre D," which is still available on the Huffington Post website, Stewart wrote about his dealings with Lindros after he entered the NHL in 1992.

"Eric Lindros was a player I got off with on the wrong foot and we never developed a rapport because neither he nor I wanted one," Stewart wrote in his online column. "It started out innocently enough.

"I was working an afternoon Philadelphia-New Jersey game at the Spectrum; the back end of a home-and-home. The Devils won the previous game, 6-4, in a game refereed by Mark Faucette. The game got chippy late in the third period, with about 40 penalty minutes being handed out in the final five minutes, including roughing penalties to Lindros and Scott Stevens in the waning seconds of the game.

"The start of the game at the Spectrum was delayed several minutes. I had to wait for the red light on the scorer's table to indicate that the broadcast had returned from a commercial and it was OK to drop the opening faceoff.

"During the delay, I made small talk with several of the Devils and Flyers on the ice. I said hello to Mark Recchi and talked to Bernie Nicholls. I then tried to greet the 19-year-old rookie Lindros."'Hey, Eric. How are things going? How's your dad?' I asked.

"The response: '[bleep] you. Just drop the [bleeping] puck already.'"

Lindros was apparently in a bad mood because he'd recently missed 12 games with a knee injury, the team was in a losing skid, and he'd had a tough game in New Jersey. This game was also played about a week after Lindros had to go to court in Toronto after the Koo Koo Bananas incident. You know what? Those were his problems, not mine. But we were about to have a mutual problem."

"Right off the opening faceoff, Lindros bulled forward and drilled Nicholls under the chin with his stick. I ditched Lindros on a high-sticking penalty.

"Before the game, I had brought a tube filled with posters to Flyers' equipment manager Jim "Turk" Evers. The posters, which depicted Recchi and Lindros, were to be autographed and then donated to a charity auction. I had done a similar thing in other cities, such as a Cam Neely and Ray Bourque poster in Boston, and a Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh.

"After the game, I want to Turk to collect the poster tube.

"'Stewy, you're not going to like this,' Evers said. 'I don't have them.'

"'What do you mean you don't have them?' I asked.

"'Well, Rex signed the posters but when Eric found out they were for you, he tore every one of them up. I'm sorry about that.'

"I never spoke to Eric Lindros again.

"One year, much later in his career when he was with the Rangers, I ended up getting him on eight minor penalties that season. I caught some heat for it from John Davidson on the Rangers' broadcasts, but the truth of the matter was this: I did NOT go out of my way to 'invent' penalties on Lindros -- or any player -- but I wasn't going to give that guy a break on anything borderline that I might have let slide with a player who had gained acceptability with me.

Lindros says in his court filing that Stewart's column was republished by various websites at least 47 times during the first month after its publication.

"It was both intended and foreseeable to Stewart and the AOL defendants that the article would receive widespread public attention and readership," Lindros's lawyers wrote in his statement of claim. "Lindros is a well-known public figure, particularly in Canada and the United States and other countries where ice hockey is popular. … (Lindros) has suffered aggravated damages as a consequence of the republications.

"The republications reported that 'Eric Lindros was apparently an enormous (bleep)' and that 'Lindros angrily tearing up charity posters is a high point in athlete dickhead behaviour.'

Lindros denies Stewart's allegations.

"The statement that Lindros did not want a rapport with Stewart is false and makes Lindros out to be unfriendly or hostile," Lindros's lawyers wrote in his pleadings.

The claim that Lindros swore at Stewart similarly makes the former NHL star out to be insulting and hostile, his court pleadings say.

"The statement that Lindros refused to sign posters intended for a charity auction, and more shockingly, tore them up because they were solicited by Stewart is false and makes Lindros out to be unfriendly, hostile, rude, insulting, vindictive, cruel, uncharitable and generally a despicable person."

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/lindros-files-lawsuit-against-former-referee-1.215863

[King Heffy]

Hopefully the NHL takes this as a wakeup call and cleans up its act.

[VanGnome]

Whether or not the allegations are true and if any shade of what is said DID happen... it's not okay to espouse that stuff in media publications. The number one rule of the media is, if a story can be slanted in one way or the other to drive higher ratings or readership, it will be done.

These kind of anecdotal stories serve no benefit, at best this is a clear cut case of liable, and Lindros has every right to defend himself against it.

Sounds like a hack of a reff, writing for an even more hack of a "Newspaper". The Huffington Post is basically the ECHL of publications, always boiling issues down to the lowest common denominator so lowbrow jerk offs think they're actually informed on world events; it's really not much more than a step up from the Enquirer.

[Heretic]

LOL - his reputation was tarnished when he refused to play for the Nordiques.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Tattletale vs. Crybaby.

And these are grown men? Wow.

[nuckin_futz]

LOL - his reputation was tarnished when he refused to play for the Nordiques.

When Lindros was going to be traded from the Nords to whomever back in the early 90's Yzerman's agent let it be known that his client would refuse to report to the Nords if traded there.

Is his reputation tarnished in your eyes?

[Chalky]

"'Hey, Eric. How are things going? How's your dad?' I asked.

I'll assume Paul Stewart knew Eric's dad, if not perhaps it was in reference to how his Dad was influential in the Quebec debacle.

I did NOT go out of my way to 'invent' penalties on Lindros -- or any player -- but I wasn't going to give that guy a break on anything borderline that I might have let slide with a player who had gained acceptability with me.

Precisely. That goes beyond "game management" and shows that refs influence the game in ways they should not. So if I kiss a ref's ass I may get preferential treatment. I'm fairly sure Alex Burrows agrees with me.

[Heretic]

When Lindros was going to be traded from the Nords to whomever back in the early 90's Yzerman's agent let it be known that his client would refuse to report to the Nords if traded there.

Is his reputation tarnished in your eyes?

No - that's different - The Nordiques weren't in the running to draft Yzerman.

Lindros reputation is tarnished because as a kid coming into the league thought he was bigger than the league and didn't have to follow their rules.

[MJDDawg]

LOL - his reputation was tarnished when he refused to play for the Nordiques.

This exactly.

Pretty sure it's common knowledge that he didn't really get along with a lot of people. I'm sure one could dig up all sorts of stories about his dealings with Bobby Clarke and the Flyers over the years.

In saying this though, Stewart is crossing a line IMO that he should not cross. The adage about what's said in the room or on the ice stays in the room or on the ice should apply and one shouldn't be able to gain benefit from that stuff.

[nuckin_futz]

No - that's different - The Nordiques weren't in the running to draft Yzerman.

Lindros reputation is tarnished because as a kid coming into the league thought he was bigger than the league and didn't have to follow their rules.

Yzerman was drafted in 1983 and was established as a superstar by the early 90's.

His name was mentioned as possible Lindross trade bait in the early 90's.

These comments were made by Yzerman's agent in the early 90's. Letting it be known he would refuse to report.

[TheAce]

: I did NOT go out of my way to 'invent' penalties on Lindros -- or any player -- but I wasn't going to give that guy a break on anything borderline that I might have let slide with a player who had gained acceptability with me.

This is the most alarming thing out of that entire story.... a ref admitting that he lets borderline calls go with players who have gained acceptability with him ? So as long as a player fakes being friendly to a ref and signs posters and jersey's for the ref he will get away with borderline calls ?

Even though we know it happens, it is simply unacceptable that a ref comes out and admits this is happening . A penalty is a penalty regardless of who commits the infraction

[danjr]

Since when can you not tell stories of what happens after the game.

If that was the case there would be a total of 0 player biographies or autobiographies.

That saying of what happens in the room stays in the room, is typically for active players.

Lindros is a crybaby and I am sure the court will not find in his favour. A witness to verify Paul Stewarts side. Wonder what kind of magic Lindros is going to pull out of his %((*& to get out of this one.

[Heretic]

Yzerman was drafted in 1983 and was established as a superstar by the early 90's.

His name was mentioned as possible Lindross trade bait in the early 90's.

These comments were made by Yzerman's agent in the early 90's. Letting it be known he would refuse to report.

Which is no different than the NTC's we have today. It's not the same.

The same would be McDavid refusing to play for the Oilers if they win the draft lottery this year.

[Down by the River]

This is the most alarming thing out of that entire story.... a ref admitting that he lets borderline calls go with players who have gained acceptability with him ? So as long as a player fakes being friendly to a ref and signs posters and jersey's for the ref he will get away with borderline calls ?

Even though we know it happens, it is simply unacceptable that a ref comes out and admits this is happening . A penalty is a penalty regardless of who commits the infraction

Exactly what I thought as well. This ref clearly took things personally and allowed his relationship with players to dictate how a game was called. That is ridiculous.

[khay]

I'll assume Paul Stewart knew Eric's dad, if not perhaps it was in reference to how his Dad was influential in the Quebec debacle.

Precisely. That goes beyond "game management" and shows that refs influence the game in ways they should not. So if I kiss a ref's ass I may get preferential treatment. I'm fairly sure Alex Burrows agrees with me.

Yep, this is another proof that the referees think that they have the right to make an impact in the game. NHL has got to clean this up. Like John Garrett often says, "all you want is some consistency." If they are going to call Alex Burrows (or whoever else) for something, that same play must be called on the other players as well.

Look at baseball for example. The strikezone changes from game to game, umpire to umpire. But throughout the game, it usually stays consistent. So by inning 7 rolls around, the hitters know what will be called a strike and what will be called a ball and decides accordingly. NHL? The rules change depending on which players are involved, which teams are involved, and the score, as well as the time remaining, etc etc etc.

We have world class players playing under amateur refereeing. It sucks ass.

[Down by the River]

Yep, this is another proof that the referees think that they have the right to make an impact in the game. NHL has got to clean this up. Like John Garrett often says, "all you want is some consistency." If they are going to call Alex Burrows (or whoever else) for something, that same play must be called on the other players as well.

Look at baseball for example. The strikezone changes from game to game, umpire to umpire. But throughout the game, it usually stays consistent. So by inning 7 rolls around, the hitters know what will be called a strike and what will be called a ball and decides accordingly. NHL? The rules change depending on which players are involved, which teams are involved, and the score, as well as the time remaining, etc etc etc.

We have world class players playing under amateur refereeing. It sucks ass.

This is what happens when you are ranked fourth in ratings among professional sports leagues. You get Bettman desperate to make things work in southern markets, and the result is trying to artificially inflate the entertainment factor through game management.

The game is great enough that it doesn't need game management for it to be entertaining.

[Fateless]

As frustrating as it is to see evidence that referees show bias against certain players which the NHL should clearly address, I don't see Lindros winning this case.

Winning a defamation case requires the defendant to prove that what the accused said was false. Other than Lindros saying he didn't say those things, I highly doubt there is any evidence or testimonies that exist to say otherwise. Beyond that, I'm sure the equipment manger will be subpoenaed to testify that Lindros did in fact have a $&!#ty attitude towards Stewart.

This will likely be end in a settlement, but if it goes to trial, I don't see Lindros winning.

[hf44]

Once a cry baby, always a cry baby.

[bd71]

LOL - his reputation was tarnished when he refused to play for the Nordiques.

I've never understood this mentality. He had the power to force a trade and he did. It worked out well for the Avalanche. Maybe not so well for the Nords.

The draft system isn't really great for a player. Especially a player of Lindros' calibre. Why should you be tied to a particular team until you are 25-27 years old? Especially a team you have no desire to play for.

I personally love when players challenge the system. I have friends who hate Eli Manning and what he did to force the Chargers hand. Peyton likely would have never gone to Indy if they had realized that early enough. I love what Eli did. It forces a system run by billionaires to be put in jeopardy.

And do you notice how those guys always get traded? They get traded because no one wants them to challenge the draft etc. in court. All the leagues are afraid of losing their anti-trust status.

If McDavid is dead set against playing somewhere, he wouldn't have to. He could force a trade. I'd respect him more. What is wrong with worrying about your personal successes?

[jdatb]

Lindros making an enormous tool out of himself. Not surprised.