Blackhawks Fan Sues One Year After Game 1 Puck Hit Her in the Face

The Chicago Blackhawks may have won the Stanley Cup last year, but the Game 1 puck that struck a Burr Ridge woman in the face was no good luck charm.

At least not for Patricia Higgins who is suing the United Center.

Higgins, 55, alleges the United Center failed to maintain and inspect safety nets that would have prevented "injury to spectators."

The suit was filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.

Higgins, a doctor, has been a season-ticket holder for more than a decade. She and her daughter were sitting in Row 11 on June 12, 2013, the night of Game 1.

"I'll be fine. Everybody just needs to cheer on the Blackhawks and make them win," she said last year after getting hit in the face. "Take Tylenol if your head hurts. That's all I can say."

About a month after the game, a fellow spectator who picked up the puck after it smashed into Higgins' face gave the puck to her.

Now, in suing the United Center, Higgins claims she “sustained injuries, suffered pain, lost wages and medical bills, and will continue to suffer such damages in the future,” according to the lawsuit.

She declined to speak to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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