A New Brunswick father is suing the provincial amateur hockey association after his 16-year-old son failed to win the league's most-valuable-player award.

Michael Croteau is seeking $300,000 in psychological and punitive damages from the association. He is also demanding that the MVP trophy be taken from the boy who won it and given to his son, Steven, as well as the league's playmaker award, which was awarded to a different boy. Croteau also wants Steven to be guaranteed a spot on the New Brunswick Canada Winter Games roster.

In an interview yesterday from his home on Lameque Island, N.B., Croteau said Steven was so crushed after losing the New Brunswick Bantam AAA MVP award at a banquet in March that he lost his love for playing hockey. That, his father argues, resulted in Steven failing to pursue the Canada Games tryouts in which he had been excelling.

The league's nine coaches or managers vote for MVP. The voting is not disclosed.

Steven, who plays for the Acadian Peninsula AAA team, stands 5 foot 4 and weighs 119 pounds. His father said he's grown two inches in the past year and two seasons ago was the league's rookie of the year.

Steven led the league this season with 45 goals and 42 assists in 27 games. The league MVP, Lucas Martin who plays for Moncton, had 21 goals and 39 assists, fourth in the league.

"How do you justify that?" Croteau said. "It's quite obvious he's the most valuable forward in the league."

Brian Whitehead, in his fourth season as New Brunswick Amateur Hockey Association executive director, said he could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit.

"I'm not at liberty to talk about the statement of claim at this time," Whitehead said from his office in Fredericton. "But yes, there is a monetary sum attached to it."

Whitehead, who said he received the suit on Oct. 28, referred the matter to the Canadian Hockey Association. Officials there will advise the New Brunswick body on a course of action. At this point, Whitehead said, the association has not hired a lawyer.

The suit was filed in New Brunswick Provincial Court in Bathurst on Oct. 8. Whitehead said it's not the first time the association has been taken to court, but in every other case the suit involved player injury.

Croteau said his son was "so hurt and damaged" after losing the awards in front of 250 people that night he came home and shoved his hockey equipment into a corner, saying he had no interest in playing again.

"He was so sure of himself he took $50 of his own money to buy a nice shirt and tie to look good that night," he said. "And he was just humiliated."

Whitehead said that when Steven didn't show up for the Canada Games practice two weeks after the banquet, coach Gerry Belliveau asked him to come out to the following one in May.

But Steven declined.

"He did not quit the Canada Games," Croteau said. "He just had to breathe. It's not the trophy, it's that he should have been honoured. I taught him since he learned to skate at three years old that hard work brings rewards. But that didn't happen.

"I'm doing this because all the years I played and coached hockey I saw what good it could bring to your life. I'm doing this for my son. He feels very bad. He did his best. . . . I didn't want to go this far but hopefully it will be an example to others."

One source close to the league who asked not to be identified said, "Steven's name would have been talked about for MVP. But it's like the Miss America pageant. On any given day, anyone that good could win."

This suit comes on the heels of one involving nine-year-old John Bijelic of Mississauga, who is in small-claims court after suing a minor-hockey coach for $10,000, alleging he threatened to "put a bounty on his head."