Hockey Canada, CHL settle lawsuit over alleged sexual assault involving WJ players

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

The arrogance is disgusting. Power corrupts, and Hockey Canada is a powerful organization.

I hope the players involved get their comeuppance, the HC executives get turfed and tried for the coverup and failure to prevent the abuse, and the victim gets compensated.

This might be simplistic, but I dont understand why they got involved at all.

Similar to Chicago covering for their Video Coach, you hear these allegations and your response, as an organization, should probably be somewhere along the lines of:

"Well. That sounds like a crime to me. Someone should call the Police." *Dusts off Hands*

And then Hockey Canada and the CHL have no more involvement.

"Those guys committed some crimes. They probably shouldn't have done that. Now the Police do what Police do."

I dont understand why the organizations felt themselves to be responsible in any way.

Until they decide to cover it up. Then they engage in responsibility.

[GioforPM]

They got involved because they were sued.

[bluejays]

I don’t want to say anyone involved in hockey knows this stuff happens but I’m sure if you polled anyone who played even house league you hear guys talking about group sex. Not my thing but it seems to be a hockey culture thing which frankly I don’t get. This it taking it to a different degree and everyone involved should be punished dearly. Results can’t come at the expense of turning a blind eye. Renney and co should be the first to go as it certainly seems like willful ignorance at the very least. Glad the federal government pulled funding as well.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

They got involved because they were sued.

Okay, so walk me through this...I presume they're being sued because they covered it up?

Because otherwise how else could they really be involved or responsible?

[The Familia]

Hockey has probably the most disgusting "locker room culture" of any sport in this country. I never played hockey growing up (was in soccer/martial arts), but most of my friends did. The stories I have heard....I vow I will do everything in my power to convince my son not to play hockey.

[hixxes]

Where is the cover up? They reported it to police as soon as they were made aware of what happened.

The failing on the part of Hockey Canada was basically throwing their hands up in the air and saying they have no way to determine who was involved. From the sounds of it there is currently no mechanism in place to force participants to cooperate with an investigation.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

https://www.tsn.ca/federal-governmen...ding-1.1816169

Heads should roll. There are Hockey Canada employees who feel their job is to cover up sexual abuse and protect players who commit these crimes. Disgusting.

Perhaps of note/interest but this is the firm that defended Jian Ghomeshi and represented Mark Norman amongst other cases.

""Hockey Canada said they would not share with the committee the advice they received from the independent firm (Henein & Hutchison), or how they plan to respond. We also heard that the independent investigation was not completed, nor were the 8 John Doe players identified. This is unacceptable."

https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/art...anada-funding/

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by The Familia

Hockey has probably the most disgusting "locker room culture" of any sport in this country. I never played hockey growing up (was in soccer/martial arts), but most of my friends did. The stories I have heard....I vow I will do everything in my power to convince my son not to play hockey.

So are you saying anyone who plays hockey will inevitably sexually assault people?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Locke

Okay, so walk me through this...I presume they're being sued because they covered it up?

Because otherwise how else could they really be involved or responsible?

Some sort of connection to the event and how the players were under their supervision? I haven’t seen the statement of claim.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by shogged

2 cases a year. brutal

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Doesn't surprise me. There are 60(?) CHL teams so that's like roughly 1400 hockey players aged 16 through 21 going to parties, going to schools, etc

Imagine how much never gets reported.

I’m pretty sure hockey Canada is way, way bigger than that. I believe it encompasses all minor hockey in Canada. It must be in the thousands or tens of thousands when you factor in how many youth in Canada participate in hockey Canada sanctioned leagues and tournaments.

Statistically speaking 1 or 2 cases would actually be so minuscule, based on the size of their membership, that it is almost certainly an outright lie. Not unless they mean 1 or 2 high profile cases that are settled for six or seven figures. Either that or incidents of sexual assault are under-reported at an alarming rate. Actually, it could be both too.


Edit: after looking into it, I don’t think MHA’s are part of hockey Canada but I’m a bit hazy on it all. But it does seem like most junior A and B is? Or maybe they’re provincial? I’m not sure. Whatever. Either way, #### hockey Canada.

[Boreal]

This just exposes what a toxic joke the whole Hockey Canada organization is. It enables the caveman aspects of hockey culture.

We’re 25 years on from exposing Graham James, and still… here we are, talking about a few bad apples and people who made mistakes. Give me a break.

They care more about winning World Junior Championships than they do about mentoring coaches and enforcing codes of conduct predicated on healthy childhood psychology in order to maximize the health and fun for children.

If you want to know an organization’s priority don’t listen to their lip service or read their “vision”, look at their budget.

Case in point, compare coaching resources with Hockey USA.

USA Hockey’s mobile coaches app is free. It’s a clearing house of on/off ice drills, skills, practice plans, literature, videos, etc. etc.

https://www.usahockey.com/mobilecoach

Hockey Canada?!? $40-50 annual subscription.

Total joke, and a sham of an organization. They can send 30 or 60 people to the World Juniors but charge a fee for coaching resources while sitting on millions in cash.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hocke...ding-1.6493025

These guys can all sit in it.

[The Familia]

Originally Posted by Goriders

So are you saying anyone who plays hockey will inevitably sexually assault people?

Nope, I did not say that. I said the locker room culture is disgusting. Lots of the stories I heard did not involve sexual assault, or even girls at all. It did involve lots of rookie hazing, weird sexual games rookies had to do, etc. I’m not painting every hockey player or team with the same brush, but I have heard enough stories from enough players from enough different teams and leagues to feel uncomfortable with the #### that goes on behind the scenes in hockey locker rooms. Maybe they have cleaned up a lot since the 90’s and 2000’s, I hope they have. I also don’t want him to play hockey simple for the insane cost and time commitment.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Goriders

So are you saying anyone who plays hockey will inevitably sexually assault people?

Umm, no? He didn't say anything remotely close to that...

But youth hockey culture in Canada can be incredibly toxic and gross. Which isn't to say other sports (and other countries) don't have problems, too, but it's irrelevant.

I think it mostly comes from toxic parents and coaches, but I wonder how much of it has to do with the actual need to use locker-rooms so much more compared to most other youth sports.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Umm, no? He didn't say anything remotely close to that...
But youth hockey culture in Canada can be incredibly toxic and gross. Which isn't to say other sports (and other countries) don't have problems, too, but it's irrelevant.

I think it mostly comes from toxic parents and coaches, but I wonder how much of it has to do with the actual need to use locker-rooms so much more compared to most other youth sports.

This is 100% true. So much garbage is passed off, subsequently enabling it.

This book, “The Sports Parents Playbook” actually addresses many of the problems head on.

https://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-naylo...-1v9m4vkz.html

Here’s a great excerpt:

Abusive coaching can become confused for tough coaching and then it is accepted with a nod and a shrug. Perhaps some of the solution to this challenge lies in parents substituting the word "teacher" for "coach" when reflecting upon what they see at practice and games. Teachers of children, young to old, all share the same goals of athletic coaches prepare individuals to strive and thrive in a chaotic and competitive world. It seems reasonable that coaches should be held to the same standards of behavior that public and private school teachers are expected to fulfill.

Each child is also different and growing in all ways with punctuated leaps. It’s pretty elemental in childhood psychology that any non-nurturing action can be defined as trauma to a child. Non-nurturing actions in parenting, teaching, & coaching are also unavoidable. Yelling shouldn’t be a default, but if a child is in danger then it’s required.

Additionally, we all make mistakes. The antidote to trauma is repair. Acknowledge your mistake and apologize. Then everyone learns, grows, gets better, and moves on.

Or as the cliche goes… “When one teaches two learn.”

I have yet to see even an inkling of prioritizing this mindset in hockey. I know people who still use skating as a punishment for 8 year old kids in practice. This is literally the dumbest thing a person can do for kids.

One, it re-enforces improper technique for poor skaters.

Two, hockey is skating and so making skating punitive & painful is a great way to make kids hate the sport.

[shotinthebacklund]

I played in multiple communities and organizations over more then 16 years. You presume all hockey culture is toxic and that's a vast over exaggeration. I had heard stories like you, but never first hand accounts. All teams I played on were great. I am sure most others would agree with me. To act like its a sport specific issue is kidding yourself. There are the same type issues across all sport.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by shotinthebacklund

I played in multiple communities and organizations over more then 16 years. You presume all hockey culture is toxic and that's a vast over exaggeration. I had heard stories like you, but never first hand accounts. All teams I played on were great. I am sure most others would agree with me. To act like its a sport specific issue is kidding yourself. There are the same type issues across all sport.

There are reportedly more soccer players in Canada than hockey players. I don't remember hearing a ton of abusive sexual charges being levied against soccer players or their coaches.

Hockey has a problem. It is not the same in every sport in Canada.

[Northendzone]

i would say that it is really disappointing that the governing body of amateur hockey in this country really seemed to have dropped the ball on this and that they need to find a way to ensure that this crap does not happen again

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

There are reportedly more soccer players in Canada than hockey players. I don't remember hearing a ton of abusive sexual charges being levied against soccer players or their coaches.

Hockey has a problem. It is not the same in every sport in Canada.

Its because hockey players are infinitely more popular in Canada than soccer players at younger levels.

I don't think hockey in particular has anything to do with it beyond its a group of teenager boys/young men who have a lot of girls interesting in them. You hear very similar stories around college sports in the US where they are popular - football or even lacrosse.

If there was some junior soccer leagues in Canada that people cared about - I don't think the issues would be different unless the soccer league took more serious action around educating the players and had more serious consequences for their actions.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

There are reportedly more soccer players in Canada than hockey players. I don't remember hearing a ton of abusive sexual charges being levied against soccer players or their coaches.

Hockey has a problem. It is not the same in every sport in Canada.

While soccer may or may not have larger youth numbers, I would guess that there are a lot more organized hockey players at an age where they would be out at bars, etc.

Of course, sexual assault can be done by almost any age of person, but what we’re talking about here is a young adult kind of crime.

[Atlantica]

Just because your agent is "getting ahead of the story" by denying involvement does not mean there was no involvement. I am not accusing Makar or anyone else. All I am saying is you will never get to the final 8 through a process of elimination based upon agents "getting ahead of the story".