The National Hockey Leagues years-long investigation into concussions was a whitewash, and the leagues claims that players should have researched themselves the consequences of brain injuries is absurd, according to claims made by a group of former players in newly filed court documents. Miguel Layun Jersey . Three weeks ago, the NHL claimed in pleadings that the former players who are suing the league over how it handled concussions and head trauma injuries ought to have been able to put two and two together, thanks to newspaper and magazine stories and other news reports. Publicly available information related to concussions and their long-term effects, coupled with the events that had transpired – i.e., the players incurring head injuries – should have allowed (players) to put two and two together, the NHL said in its court documents filed in Minnesota. Now, the players are firing back. In newly filed documents obtained by TSN, lawyers for players including Joe Murphy, Bernie Nichols and Gary Leeman rubbish the NHLs claims, saying players had no knowledge of the medical literature, and no understanding of any need to go find it because they relied on the NHL for information about player health and safety. Whether players could have accessed information in the public sphere is a red herring, the players say in court filings. By representing that the NHL was the caretaker of player safety and was responsible for researching concussions... the NHL was telling players not to look for or believe what the NHL now says the players should have researched and understood. The players, whose claims have not been proven, allege that the NHL did not do enough to protect them from head injuries before it created a committee to study head trauma in 1997. Even after that, the players charge the committees findings were not adequately shared with players. For decades, NHL players who sustained in-game concussions or who lost consciousness were simply propped up, given smelling salts, and quickly returned to game-action, the players allege. While the NHL began its concussion study in 1997 and published its findings in 2011, It was not until July 23, 2013, that the NHL changed its concussion protocols to require a concussed player not return to the same game in which the concussion occurred. The NHL players filed the suit in November 2013 after a group of nearly 4,500 former NFL players reached a settlement with the NFL over similar concussion-related complaints. The NFL players are expected to be paid about $1 billion, a lawyer working on the case told TSN. In its legal filings, the NHL says the court should dismiss the case because its taken too long for players to file their complaints. (The players) are not seeking recovery for acute injuries resulting from the individual hits, blows or instances of trauma inherent in hockey, the players pleadings say, adding that the injuries being sued for are the permanent degenerative brain diseases, or accumulated brain cell damage increasing the risk of such diseases, which arose and of which the plaintiffs became aware only after plaintiffs retired from the NHL. The NHL also has said the claim should be dismissed because health and safety issues fall under the purview of the leagues collective labour agreement with the NHLPA. The NHL said under terms of its CBA, that players have a responsibility to report injuries to their teams and submit themselves for examination. The CBA also addresses the rights of a player to receive his medical records, the NHL said in its legal filings. Players are clearly excluded from the NHLPA bargaining unit, the new court documents say, belying any argument that they are represented by a union who can initiate a grievance on their behalf... plaintiffs, as retired players and unrepresented by the NHLPA, could not initiate a grievance on their own behalf even if they wanted to. The judge overseeing the players lawsuit will hear oral arguments about the NHLs motion on Jan. 8 and will decide whether to dismiss the case by April. About 40 former NHL players have now signed up as named plaintiffs, compared to 4,500 in the NFL case. Andres Guardado Jersey . He was 40. Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Friday because Brown was unresponsive at his home near the Inner Harbor, fire spokesman Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright said. He said Brown was dead when firefighters arrived. Hector Moreno Jersey . The injury will keep the Finnish forward out of the Olympics. The 29-year-old has 20 goals and 41 points in 56 games this season, his first with Tampa Bay. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamstore.com/customized/ . The win puts the final playoff berth in Group A in question. If the Czechs beat Slovakia on Tuesday, they will go through. If they lose, Germany will get the last quarter-final berth.PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Lowry slept in his own bed, left about 50 tickets for family and friends, then gave his hometown crowd a reason to cheer. Lowry had 18 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double, and DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-95 on Friday night. "As long as its with a win, Im happy to have it," Lowry said. "Ill take the thanks from the team and congratulations from all my teammates. But as long as it came with a win, thats all that really matters." Lowry grabbed his 10th rebound late in the fourth quarter, continuing a string of strong games hes had for the Atlantic Division leaders. Hes a Philadelphia native and played two seasons at Villanova. He didnt get a chance to stop by his old school -- though current and former Wildcats had to be watching. Lowry was nearly flawless in his latest homecoming, and didnt commit his first turnover until there were about 2 minutes left in the game. He shot 7 of 11 and hit a trio of 3-pointers in 35 minutes to help keep the Raptors in control of the worst division in the NBA. "Its always special to play here," Lowry said. He had help putting the game away. DeRozan scored 16 points in the fourth, including seven straight early in the period as the Raptors opened a double-digit lead. In a game in which neither team could build much of a lead, DeRozan finally helped the Raptors take control in the final quarter. He had a dunk, hit a 3-pointer and nailed a mid-range jumper to give Toronto some breathing room. Patrick Pattersons jumper made it 96-83. The Sixers made a short run to close to 98-91 but didnt have enough left for one more rally. "When we got a chance to put a stronghold on it, we closed it out," Lowry said. The Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak on the road. DeRozan scored a career-high 40 points in Torontos 93-85 win over Dallas on Wednesday night. He connected on 15 of 22 field goal attempts and went 9 for 14 at the free throw line, becoming the seventh player in Raptors history to score 40 points or more. Jesus Molina Jersey. Against the Sixers, DeRozan made 10 of 22 shots and 13 of 16 free throws. The Raptors moved to .500 on the road (11-11) and are 22-20 overall. But the other four teams in the division all have losing records, including Philadelphia, so theyve been good enough to sit atop the standings. The Raptors are 16-8 since they traded Rudy Gay. "They make the trade, and it ends up a little bit addition by subtraction in many ways," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "They get a little bit more of an identity and a defensive purpose. And I thought they were really good. I always felt like they were a pretty good defensive team." Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers. Michael Carter-Williams scored 20. The Raptors opened the game on a 15-2 run, the Sixers countered with a 20-5 spurt, and from there it was pretty much even. "I liked the start. We had an excellent focus and sustained it as long as we could," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. The Sixers could never get their perimeter game going, scoring 50 of their 78 points through three quarters in the paint. Philadelphia missed 14 of 20 3s overall. Thaddeus Young scored 16 points. "We got good shots, but just went cold," Young said. "Theyre just a good team. In the past, it was a point where, the Toronto Raptors walk in and its going to be an easy win. But they have a lot of key guys on that team that can do a lot of different things." NOTES: Sixers G Tony Wroten (right ankle) sat out. ... The Sixers signed C Dewayne Dedmon to a second 10-day contract. ... There were 12 lead changes and 15 ties. ... The Sixers have scored fewer than 100 points in eight of the last 10 games after scoring 100-plus in seven straight. ... The Sixers committed a season-low 10 turnovers. ' ' '