Sex abuse lawsuit vs. former hockey coach adds 3 plaintiffs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Three former hockey players — including former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Frank Pietrangelo — have joined an existing federal lawsuit against multiple organizations and a college and youth coach who allegedly sexually abused them during the 1980s, according to a civil complaint filed on Friday.

Pietrangelo and two others were added to an amended lawsuit originally filed in district court in Minneapolis on May 13, bringing the total of plaintiffs to eight.

They've accused Thomas “Chico” Adrahtas of repeated sexual assault, abuse, molestation and harassment while they played on his teams at various levels of the sport. Many of the alleged victims, all male, were minors at the time.

The accusations against Adrahtas were first reported by The Athletic in 2020.

Adrahtas coached several amateur teams in the Chicago area and moved to the college ranks for the 1984-85 season as an assistant at Minnesota. He returned to Illinois, changing jobs frequently. His last post was as the head coach at Robert Morris University in Chicago, before his resignation in 2018 in light of an investigation into his alleged abuse.

The defendants in the lawsuit are Adrahtas, the University of Minnesota, USA Hockey and the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois.

Pietrangelo played at Minnesota from 1982-86. He won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and appeared in 141 NHL games, including a stint with the Hartford Whalers.

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