Vancouver Canucks Sued by Italian Sports Psychologist Hired After Stanley Cup Loss to Bruins

by Dan Duquette Jr. on Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 5:31PM

It has been said that the Bruins got inside Roberto Luongo‘s head during the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It appears that to some extent, one of the owners of the Vancouver Canucks agrees — and those mind games are now headed to the courts.

According to Italian sports psychologist Bruno Demichelis, Canucks co-owner Francesco Aquilini hired him away from soccer club Chelsea after Vancouver’s loss to Boston because “he was very concerned about the physical and psychological condition of the Canucks players, and the negative impact it had on their performance in the Stanley Cup final.”

Now, Demichelis is suing the team for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract after he was fired during the NHL lockout. According to The Canadian Press, Demichelis is suffering “mental distress” as a result of his firing, considering he moved his family to Vancouver to work for the Canucks.

The Vancouver franchise has yet to comment on the lawsuit.