Montreal Canadiens forward George Parros lost his balance in a fight against Toronto Maple Leaf Colton Orr, fell to the ice and knocked himself out cold. The Princeton grad is out indefinitely with a concussion. This latest fight-related injury has once again sparked a debate as to whether fighting belongs in the game. From a legal standpoint, the question is this: could the National Hockey League be held liable for brain trauma sustained while playing the game? Could someone like Parros come back and sue the league? This type of question comes up a lot in light of the National Football Leagues concussion lawsuits. About 4,500 retired players sued the NFL alleging that the league concealed the long-term impact of headshots. The NFL settled that case when it agreed to pay the players nearly a billion dollars (however, the settlement has not yet been approved by the Court and any player has the option to opt out of the settlement and file his own lawsuit). While the NFL has agreed on a settlement, that doesnt mean that a court would have found for the players. The same goes for the NHL if a player like Parros ever sued. Indeed, players today would have some obstacles to overcome if they wanted to be successful in court. First, the collective bargaining agreement, which is agreed upon by the players, provides that issues of player health and safety go to arbitration and not court. There is also the really important issue of consent. In hockey, when a player steps on the ice, he consents to bodily harm that is accepted as being part of the game. In the case of Parros, he is a fighter and knows there is a serious risk of injury. As well, players today have a better and more meaningful understanding of the long-term risk associated with playing hockey. Its not a secret that a player may endure cognitive struggles later on in life. The final hurdle for player to overcome is something at law called causation. How does a player show that his brain damage was caused as a result of playing in the NHL? Very sadly, this is one limitation facing the Derek Boogaard lawsuit against the NHL. Boogaard fought for nine seasons in the WHL, ECHL and AHL before playing the NHL. It may not be clear where the damage was caused. While these hurdles may discourage a lawsuit, they dont completely remove the risk of one materializing. Merits of a case aside, a player may still elect to sue the league if, for example, he believes that the league is responsible for brain trauma sustained while playing. And a lawsuit would bring with it negative publicity for the game. No business likes that, and the NHL is likely no different. The discussion about the utility of fighting has been rising over the past few years as the public becomes more aware and sensitive to the potential long-term impact of headshots. Indeed, there seems to be a trend emerging: concerns over fighting have become part of the narrative of the game of hockey and they dont seem to be going away anytime soon. Kris Versteeg Jersey . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. Nazem Kadri Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-frank-mahovlich-jersey . - Rookie Kyle Larson will start from the pole position Saturday night in the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway after a thunderstorm arrived just in time to wash out qualifying. King Clancy Jersey . The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament. Tim Horton Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have activated defenceman Joni Pitkanen from injured reserve.Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Jamison Crowder scored on a 52-yard punt return to break a tie and spark a big fourth quarter that lifted No. 22 Duke to a 27-10 win over Syracuse on Saturday. Anthony Boone passed for 161 yards with two touchdown throws to Issac Blakeney and the Blue Devils (8-1, 4-1 ACC) scored 17 unanswered points in the last 12:45 of the game to finish off their fourth straight win. They moved to 16-1 in their last 17 regular-season games. The Orange (3-7, 1-5) have lost three in a row. It was the first football game between the two traditional basketball powerhouses since 1939. Austin Wilson completed 11 of his 19 passes for 68 yards for Syracuse and Mitch Kimble went 6-of-13 for 37 yards after, with an 8-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter. I thought our defense played really well. I was really pleased with our effort on that side of things, said Syracuse coach Scott Shafer. Offensively we knew we were going to have some difficulties. ... But I was also pleased with some of the performances on offense. I was nice to see Mitch come in and do some things. Crowder avoided one would-be tackler after catching a puunt near the orange S at midfield, then slipped between two more before racing down the middle of the field for his go-ahead touchdown with 12:45 remaining.dddddddddddd Ross Martins 34-yard field goal followed a failed fourth-down attempt by the Orange and Breon Borders intercepted Wilson for the second time soon after, leading to Blakeneys 54-yard touchdown catch for a 27-10 Duke advantage with 7:13 left. Earlier, the teams traded field goals on back-to-back drives in the first quarter -- with Martin and Syracuses Cole Murphy each drilling a 27-yard kick. Following four combined punts, Boones 22-yard touchdown pass to Blakeney gave the Blue Devils a 10-3 lead with 5:16 remaining in the second quarter. Game Notes Duke is 3-0 in the all-time series with two pre-war wins in 1938 (21-0 in Syracuse) and 1939 (33-6 in Durham). The basketball teams are tied 3-3 in the all-time series, splitting two games last season (Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013) ... Duke played its last road game. The Blue Devils will host their last three games, starting next week against Virginia Tech ... After a bye week, Syracuse plays at Pitt on Nov. 22. ' ' '