Former Vernon Laker Poeschek Has New Trial Date Set After No-Show In Court:

Former Vernon Lakers forward Rudy Poeschek has new trial date set after no-show in court.

Poeschek was wanted on a warrant after missing a court date in June was facing a new charge. Poeschek has been on the lam since no-showing in Kamloops provincial court on June 2 for what would have been his trial on an allegation he breached his probation. A warrant for his arrest was issued and he has since been charged with one count of failing to appear in court.

Poeschek played one season in Vernon with the 1982-83 Vernon Lakers collecting (4-goals-10-assists-14-points) before leaving for the Western Hockey League.

Poeschek was drafted 238th overall by the New York Rangers in Round 12 of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Poeschek played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League with four different teams (New York Rangers, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay & St. Louis).

Rudy Poeschek's Player Profile:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=70104

This was posted on the Kamloopsthisweek.com

Former NHL enforcer Poeschek has new trial date set after no-show in court

By Tim Petruk - October 12, 2017

A former National Hockey League enforcer who missed court earlier this year is expected to stand trial in December on allegations of breaching probation and failing to appear.

Rudy Poeschek’s trial on the breach charge had been scheduled to take place in Kamloops provincial court on June 2, but he was a no show and a warrant was issued.

He was subsequently arrested and re-released, now facing an additional charge of failing to appear in court. A trial has been scheduled for Dec. 7.

Poeschek, 50, has told KTW his memory is failing him. He said the breach charge was laid after he forgot about a meeting with his probation officer. He also said he nearly forgot to show up to a previous court date last year.

Poeschek is one of a number of former NHL players suing the league, alleging officials there 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 brain disease found to have afflicted many former hockey and football players.

Dr. Robert Cantu described CTE as being similar to Alzheimer’s disease. He said it can affect impulse control and memory.

“It’s essentially caused by rattling your brain around in your head — a lot,” he told KTW.

CTE played a prominent role in a lawsuit filed by former National Football League players against that league. In that case, the two sides reached a settlement in 2015 believed to have been worth more than US$1 billion. CTE can only be diagnosed after death. Researchers confirmed this week that Ty Pozzobon, the Merritt bull-rider who killed himself earlier this year, had CTE. It has also been found in the brains of dozens of former professional football players and multiple hockey players.

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 for his hometown Kamloops Blazers.

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 in his upscale neighbourhood that landed him behind bars. He moved with his family to Kamloops after his release from a Florida jail.

Poeschek was on probation 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 45 days and placed on an 18-month probation term.