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Wednesday, October 4, 2000
Brashear, McSorley don't meet at trial
Associated Press
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Donald Brashear of the
Vancouver Canucks testified Tuesday that he doesn't recall being
hit in the head by Marty McSorley's stick or being taken off the
ice on a stretcher.
"The only thing I remember is jumping on the ice without much
time left," Brashear said of the Feb. 21 game. "Marty was put on
the ice also."
|  | | Donald Brashear leaves the Vancouver Provincial courthouse with his attorney Tuesday. |
He also doesn't remember what happened earlier in the
Vancouver-Boston game, when he and McSorley fought on the ice.
"I saw it on TV and saw it on the news," Brashear said during
the second day of the trial.
There was no eye contact in the courtroom between McSorley and
Brashear in their first face-to-face contact since the game.
McSorley, who has played in the NHL for 17 seasons, could get up to
1½ years in prison if convicted of assault for bashing Brashear
over the head with his stick.
The blow is not in dispute. The judge will try to determine
whether such an attack in a professional hockey game constitutes
assault.
Earlier Tuesday, Canucks coach Marc Crawford testified that McSorley's
slash of Brashear was the worst he ever saw.
"I've seen people hit in the head with sticks, but not to that
extent," Crawford said. "There was no chance for Donald to expect it was coming."
McSorley's trial is the first for an on-ice attack by an NHL
player since Dino Ciccarelli, then with the Minnesota North Stars,
was sentenced in 1988. He received one day in jail and a $1,000
fine for hitting Toronto's Luke Richardson with his stick.
Brashear, who banged the back of his head on the ice after
McSorley hit him, sustained a concussion, lost consciousness for a
few moments while on the ice and suffered memory lapses. He
returned to play after several weeks and has fully recovered.
Canucks team doctor Rui Avelar said he believed McSorley's
stick, not the fall to the ice, was the main contributor to
Brashear's concussion.
Avelar said Brashear was unconscious and having a seizure when
he reached the forward on the ice. Avelar later diagnosed a Grade 3
concussion, one of the most serious.
McSorley was suspended by the NHL for the rest of the season and
is now an unrestricted free agent. He must meet with NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman before he resumes playing.
The Canucks and the NHL were opposed to the trial, but Brashear
has said that McSorley should not play in the NHL again.
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ALSO SEE
McSorley trial opens with screening of incident
AUDIO VIDEO
 Marty McSorley talks with ESPN's Steve Levy on Up Close.
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 Canucks team physician Dr. Rui Avelar talks about the injury to Donald Brashear
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Canucks team physician Dr. Rui Avelar explains the severity of Donald Brashear's injury.
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ESPN's Lisa Salters and Attorney Colleen Smith look into the case for the defense.
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Rangers' GM Glen Sather tells reporters he's there to support Marty McSorley and the game.
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