A former National Hockey League enforcer is scheduled to stand trial in a Kamloops courtroom this week on allegations he breached his probation and failed to show up to court.
Rudy Poeschek’s one-day trial is slated to take place Thursday in Kamloops provincial court.
Poeschek, 51, was charged with breaching his probation following an alleged incident in Kamloops on July 18, 2016. He told KTW he forgot to report to his probation officer.
Poeschek had been scheduled to stand trial in June, but a warrant for his arrest was issued — and later vacated — when he did not appear in court.
Poeschek had previously told KTW his memory is failing him and he simply forgot to meet with his probation officer. He also said he nearly forgot to show up to an earlier court date in November.
Poeschek is one of a number of former NHL players suing the league, alleging officials knew of the dangers posed by repeated head injuries and concussions.
In a series published in KTW in 2015, a Boston-based neurosurgeon suggested Poeschek may be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a chronic brain disease found to have afflicted many former hockey and football players.
Robert Cantu described CTE as being similar to Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s essentially caused by rattling your brain around in your head — a lot,” he told KTW.
CTE played a role in a lawsuit filed by former NFL players against that league. In that case, the two sides reached a settlement in 2015 believed to have been worth more than USD$1 billion.
Poeschek was an enforcer in the NHL over parts of 12 seasons. He was selected by the New York Rangers in the 12th round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft while playing junior hockey in his hometown of Kamloops.
After a playing career that ended in 2001, Poeschek was arrested eight times while living in Tampa, Fla., culminating in a March 13, 2005, demolition derby that landed him behind bars. He moved with his family to Kamloops after his release from a Florida jail.
Poeschek was on probation last summer as part of a sentence he received after pleading guilty to a string of criminal charges — one count of assault and three of driving while prohibited — in 2015. He was jailed for 45 days and placed on an 18-month probation term.
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