Hockey Sex Scanda in Canadal Keeps Getting Larger - Major Reform Needed

[jerrym]

It seems that every couple of days there are more revelations about Hockey Canada covering up sexual abuse within hockey. The entire executive level needs to go as the vast majority of Canadians now have no trust in their ability to protect players from abuse.


When parents first consider the dangers of their kids playing hockey they may envision flying pucks, elbows and sticks — not a toxic culture.But recent revelations about how sexual assault allegations were handled by Hockey Canada, the body that governs the sport in this country, have left some hockey families in turmoil over repeated black eyes to their beloved sport.
Hockey Canada is under intense fire for how the organization handled allegations of sexual assault by former players and the funds it used to settle related lawsuits.
"The more that comes out, the more frustrated people are getting," said Theresa Bailey, a hockey mom who has shepherded her own three players in Madoc, Ont., for 17 years.
Now, a poll from Angus Reid suggests most Canadians — 58 per cent — said they think sexual harassment and sexual assault are a "major issue" in youth hockey, and they have weak confidence that Hockey Canada's culture will change.

The poll of more than 2,000 Canadians taken between Aug. 8 and 10 found those with a connection to youth hockey were just as likely — 56 per cent — to respond that sexual misconduct was a major issue, "something that happens all the time." Only 17 per cent polled called it a "minor" problem.
Communications staff at Hockey Canada declined CBC's request for an interview with new interim executive director, Andrea Skinner.
The organization posted an open letter on July 18 promising change and outlining new complaint mechanisms and a review plan.
"We know you are angry and disappointed in Hockey Canada – rightfully so. We know we have not done enough ... to end the culture of toxic behaviour within our game. For that we unreservedly apologize."
But many aren't convinced.
The summer edition of the World Junior Hockey Championships opened last week with a message to young players from Canada's Minister of Sport, Pascale St-Onge, addressing the sexual assault scandals and calling them "unacceptable."
Fans have not flocked to the tournament.

Hockey Canada says it paid out $8.9-million in sexual assault settlements since 1989, with $6.8-million of that related to serial abuser Graham James.
That does not include the undisclosed settlement in a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight former CHL payers after a 2018 event in London, Ont.
The government body of hockey has been under fire since the settlements were revealed, especially because it used $7.6 million from its National Equity Fund to compensate sexual assault victims — money that comes from player fees.
That same fund was also used to pay for the services of a law firm investigating the alleged London, Ont., group sexual assault of a woman by members of the men's world junior team.
Canada also learned that Sport Canada – a government agency that develops safety policies – was informed of allegations in 2018 and failed to act.

In June, Canada's Minister of Sport called for an financial audit and froze Hockey Canada's government funding – effective immediately.
This came days after outgoing CEO Tom Renney and president Scott Smith, testified before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
All this is firing up critics who have long called for changes.
Greg Gilhooly, a lawyer who survived sexual abuse by Winnipeg minor hockey coach and convicted sex offender Graham James, told The Current host Matt Galloway that Hockey Canada's leadership needs help.
"They are in over their heads. A lot of these senior executives were regional hockey coaches. They can implement the neutral zone trap phenomenally well, but they are ill-equipped to manage a national organization's response to a crisis with sexual assault," said Gilhooly.

Brock McGillis, a former Ontario Hockey League goaltender, says hockey's "insular" culture is also a big problem.
"It's wild that I can go into any school in Canada and speak and I can point out the hockey kids. They dress the same. They talk the same. They walk the same," he said.
As one of the first openly gay professional men's hockey players, McGillis fought against slurs and abuse.
"The disrupters of the culture have never been allowed in this space. We were pushed out from the get-go," he said.
Two-time Olympian Allison Forsyth, a safe sport advocate and sexual abuse survivor, says she is "saddened" over what she describes as an active coverup of "horrendous abuse."

The mom of two hockey players says Hockey Canada needs to be transparent to win back parents who may just opt for a different sport.
"I strongly believe that sport can still be a great place to raise your children — but you need to go in with awareness of the current situation and ask your local organization critical questions," Forsyth told CBC.
The current sex-abuse scandal is no shock to Carey Durrant.
The 55-year-old Trenton, Ont., hockey coach has long been critical of Hockey Canada and the mechanisms in place for player safety. It's always made him anxious when he sees parents at any rink oblivious to where their children are.
He kept a close eye when his own son still played. As a boy, Durrant was abused by former Toronto Maple Leafs equipment manager Gordon Stuckless, who was sentenced in 2016 for more than 100 offences related to the sexual abuse of boys over three decades.




https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hocke...reid-1.6554145

[jerrym]

Hockey Canada lost my trust in 2004 when a CBC Fifth Estate documentary revealed another form of abuse that Hockey Canada was engaged in. That year, they announced that hitting, which had been gone for players under 14 for 25 years because of the risk to growing children's bodies would be introduced. The head of the Toronto region had paid for a study that allegedly said there was no difference in injury rates for 11-14 years between leagues allowing hitting and those that did not. Hockey Canada then allowed hitting across Canada. What tipped off CBC was the resignation of the three person safety committee, including a doctor who had been on the committee for 25 years resign in protest over this decision. CBC hired their own statistician to analyze the study's findings. CBC's statistician analysis of this study found that hitting at that age cause four times as many injuries. They confronted the professor who had written the study with the fact that his own stats showed the exact opposite of what he wrote as his conclusions - instead of causing no more injuries, hitting at that age caused four times as much injuries. Canada Hockey went ahead anyway with introducing hitting for this age group. Former NHLer great Lanny McDonald, no slouch when it came to hitting, that year also shut down his elite 16 year old level team because the hitting was so brutal and so many of his players were ending up with major injuries. However, Hockey Canada was focused on getting money from the NHL for players that it developed and thought that hitting was important in getting them ready. To me this was another form of abuse Hockey Canada was willing to inflict on children for their own benefit.

Having zero trust left in Hockey Canada, I took my son out of hockey and put him in swimming where there is a totally different mentality from the shouting and verbal threats of so common among many hockey parents and coaches in hockey. In swimming there is a long tradition of the entire audience cheering on loudly the slowest swimmer to help him reach the finish line, indeed a very different mentality. Leaving hockey behind, my son didn't do too badly, ending up with a $18,000 NCAA scholarship.

[ArgoRavi]

How many of us have heard stories for decades about the sickening bonding/hazing rituals that have occurred in junior hockey? Part and parcel of that is the sexual abuse/assault that is rampant in the game. And for a culture that has been intensely homophobic, it seems to be strangely obsessed with homoerotic behaviour. There's definitely a lot to unpack there.

I found it interesting how MLSE really seemed, in my opinion, to hide Sheldon Keefe's past when he was hired as the Leafs head coach. From what I recall, he seemed to be a perpetrator of abuse within that David Frost regime but, to be fair, may also have been victimized; however, nobody wants to talk about all of that.

[jerrym]

PM Trudeau says Canadians have lost confidence in the leadership of Hockey Canada after it showed support for its leadership. This almost certainly means no government funding is coming to Hockey Canada until changes in leadership occur.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey...deau-1.6050161

[jerrym]

Hockey Canada also abused young players financially by taking money from registration fees from very young kids to pay off and coverup the scandals committed by much older players.

A new survey by Nanos Research is shedding light on the impact Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations is having on the organization and the sport.
A majority of Canadians said they feel angry a portion of player registration fees were used by Hockey Canada to maintain a fund for uninsured payments, including for sexual assault settlements.
“When you’re paying fees you’re hoping that it’s going towards things that are directly benefiting the children and obviously that doesn’t benefit the children,” said Marcia Novo, a hockey parent of three sons from The Pas, Man.
The survey of 1,038 people commissioned by CTV News and The Globe and Mail found 84 per cent were opposed or somewhat opposed to using a portion of fees to pay out settlements for sexual assault allegations.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/canadian...inds-1.6016530

[Argo57]

PM Trudeau says Canadians have lost confidence in the leadership of Hockey Canada after it showed support for its leadership. This almost certainly no government funding is coming to Hockey Canada until changes in leadership occur.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey...deau-1.6050161

Hockey Canada needs to clean house as this is a disgrace but I’ll leave the hypocrisy of the politician delivering the message alone.

[Argo57]

Hockey Canada also abused young players financially by taking money from registration fees from very young kids to pay off and coverup the scandals committed by much older players.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/canadian...inds-1.6016530

How have this bunch of degenerates not been shown the door.

[kellynjk]

I think a lot of the public (myself included) are astonished that a) the entire Board of Hockey Canada has not been fired not to mention the CEO!!! All of these individuals has not only shown a lack of good judgement, but that they are not the people that should be responsible for making some substantial changes at the organization. Also they all are fired or step down, I don't think people will have any faith or confidence in Hockey Canada!!

[jerrym]

CBC's Fifth Estate last week discussed not just the two gang rapes that have made the headlines but 15 others that have been investigated by the police since 1989, noting that in small town junior hockey these players are worshipped as demagogues. It is not surprising that 15 investigations in such an atmosphere resulted in exactly one conviction. Were there others that went uninvestigated?

Such reports of gang sexual assault by junior hockey players are far from unique in Canada. Through a review of public records, The Fifth Estate has identified at least 15 cases of alleged group sexual assault involving junior hockey players that have been investigated by police since 1989 — half of which surfaced in the past decade.
Former junior hockey players and those who study the sport say these incidents have grown out of a culture that has included the pursuit of women as a team sport that can result in group sex.
“We do know that group sex is very common in men’s hockey culture,” said Cheryl MacDonald, a Halifax-based sociologist who researches hockey and sexuality.
But also what appears to be common are allegations of sexual violence connected to this culture.
“In my own experiences, I hear hockey players talk about how things unintentionally got out of hand,” MacDonald said. “And to me, that suggests that the line between something that was premeditated and something that got out of control isn’t always clear.” ...
In total, at least 50 players have been accused in the alleged crimes, with 25 eventually charged, The Fifth Estate has found. Only one of those charged has been convicted, after taking a plea deal to a lesser offence. ...

Of the 15 cases identified by The Fifth Estate, two include incidents that hit the headlines over the past few months: allegations of gang sexual assaults by some players on Canada’s 2003 and 2018 world junior teams, first reported by TSN.

Neither the 2003 nor the 2018 world juniors case has resulted in criminal charges and those suspected have not been identified. ...
However, seven of the eight players accused in the 2018 case have, while staying anonymous, had lawyers state publicly that any sexual activity was consensual and there was no wrongdoing.

The allegations have prompted members of Parliament, critics and parents to call on Hockey Canada and its affiliate leagues to change how they handle these kinds of complaints and how they address junior hockey’s culture.
Hockey Canada and its president, Scott Smith, declined a request from The Fifth Estatefor an interview about Canadian junior hockey’s history of allegations of group sexual assault.
In a statement, the organization said it takes any allegation of sexual assault seriously and reports any it receives to law enforcement.
Although Hockey Canada has pledged to change, to revamp its systems and reactivate long-dormant internal investigations, the organization is still under considerable fire.

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/...-hockey-canada

[jerrym]

The entire senior leadership of Hockey Canada needs to go. They are not only covering up the sexual misconduct with money from young kids dues, they themselves spend lavishly on their expense accounts and a pay for rings with each junior hockey world championship with this money, while defending their actions without any contrition.

At one point Andrea Skinner was asked if she was afraid of change. She is the first female chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors, albeit on an interim basis, and isn’t even 40. The obvious answer could have been that change isn’t something she worries about.
But that isn’t the answer you give when defending an institution, regardless of what it’s done.
“I believe that we have changed, we're continuing to change,” Skinner said, midway through two hours of testimony alongside former chair Michael Brind’Amour, to the House Standing Committee on Heritage. “I think that there is a significant risk to the organization if all of the board resigns, and all of senior leadership is no longer there.


“I think that will be very impactful in a negative way to our boys and girls who are playing hockey. Will the lights stay on at the rink? I don't know. We can't predict that.”
In isolation it could have been a slip; in the course of testimony from Hockey Canada leaders this year it was another example of the arrogance that grows when you believe too strongly in the faith. Will the lights stay on at the rink? Will the skate blades rust, the pucks crumble, the ice melt and flow out into the streets? Whomever will save hockey, who, before the lights go out?
It was such an insult, such an overstuffed hockey bag full of self-importance, such an insult to the good people who volunteer their time and money, who don’t share in the money-making superstructure, and who believe in this sport for the right reasons. Hockey Canada hired PR giant Navigator Communications to help in all this. Jeez, imagine if they hadn’t.

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/...it-or-not.html

[jerrym]

Today Hockey Quebec and Hockey Ontario withheld their share of Hockey Canada funding because of the failure of Hockey Canada to deal with the gang rapes by junior players. Tim Horton's and Scotiabank also withdrew sponsorship. I wonder how many more provincial hockey organizations and sponsors need to leave before Hockey Canada gets the message.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/arti...t-player-fees/

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/arti...ms-in-2022-23/

[jerrym]

More sponsors have dropped Hockey Canada as its reaction to criticism becomes more and more odious. The list now also includes Canadian Tire; Esso (which has sponsored hockey since the 1950s) Pepsi; Telus; Chevrolet; Sobeys; Swiss Chalet and The Keg. If Hockey Canada loses most or all of its sponsors, the provincial hockey organizations and government funding I don't see it surviving in its current form. Trudeau even said if it won't change, we will have to create a new organization Canada Hockey instead of Hockey Canada, with a very different management style.

[jerrym]

The interim chair of Hockey Canada, Andrea Skinner who described Hockey Canada as the victim in the sexual abuse scandal to all-party committee of MPs, has resigned without saying anything about what the real problem is. She was not there for much of the scandal but she did nothing to correct it in her brief time in office. Nike, a major sponsor of Hockey Canada for more than 20 years, has joined the long list of sponsors who have abandoned Hockey Canada.

Andrea Skinner has resigned as a director and interim board chair of Hockey Canada, days after a controversial parliamentary committee meeting where she defended Hockey Canada's handling of group sexual assault allegations involving past junior players.
In a statement posted Saturday night on Hockey Canada's website, Skinner wrote it was time for her to leave her post.
"Upon reflection, it is clear to me from recent events that it no longer makes sense for me to continue to volunteer my time as Interim Chair or as a Director of the organization," Skinner said.
On Tuesday, Skinner appeared before the House of Commons heritage committee and said toxic behaviour is a society-wide issue and that it's "counterproductive" to use Hockey Canada as a "scapegoat."
She described Hockey Canada as the victim to MPs and said her board doesn't believe senior leadership "should be replaced on the basis of what we consider to be substantial misinformation and unduly cynical attacks."
Skinner also testified that she wanted to be a "positive voice for hockey and for change" when she took on the interim role in August, but didn't expect to be a "lighting rod for extremists or receive threatening or hostile emails."
MPs of all parties condemned any extremist comments. But some said other parts of Skinner's testimony came across as tone-deaf and continued to call for Hockey Canada's executives and board members to resign.
Major sponsors — including Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire and Nike — responded by cutting ties with Hockey Canada permanently or by withdrawing funding for men's hockey this season.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/andre...nada-1.6611435

[jerrym]

There are numerous calls for Hockey Canada to change the culture of the amateur game after its entire board resigned admidst the sex scandal. They need move away from setting up a focus on elite hockey at a very young age and the macho culture that dominates junior hockey.

As sponsors distanced themselves from Hockey Canada over the past few weeks, it became clear they wanted to see more than just a change in leadership.
The need for a sweeping overhaul _ via phrases such as “necessary cultural change” (Telus), “improve the culture” (Scotiabank), and “meaningful change” (Canadian Tire) _ was a common thread in many explanations from the companies that backed away from Hockey Canada after months of scandal over its mishandling of alleged sexual assaults.
Even after the entire board stepped down on Tuesday along with the CEO, corporate partners emphasized the need for additional measures before they would return. Yet changing deep-seated beliefs, attitudes and behaviours _ what some describe as an invisible, implicit force that governs an organization _ isn’t easy. Experts say it requires a complete rebuilding from the top down and a transparent restructuring of governance, policies and directives.


The organization needs to have an honest reckoning with its problems before it can begin to rebuild and change its culture, said Geoffrey Leonardelli, professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. “Changing the culture of an organization starts with a dissatisfaction with the status quo,” said Leonardelli, also academic director of the school’s executive programs on negotiations and leading change. There needs to be a motivation for change.” ...
And in a 103-page interim report and memo released Thursday by Hockey Canada, a former Supreme Court justice said “there can be no serious debate” that Hockey Canada’s leadership had lost the confidence of stakeholders and a major teardown was needed. Justice Thomas Cromwell is in the midst of a full governance review of Hockey Canada, with which he was tasked earlier this year after it was revealed that the organization reached an undisclosed settlement with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight players, including members of the country’s 2018 world junior team. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
If Hockey Canada is to successfully rebuild, said Leonardelli, it must be clear about its mission and values. “You need to develop a vision for where the organization needs to go and then identify ways to get there,” Leonardelli said.
Aside from the headline-grabbing allegations, some observers pointed to the more insidious ways that hockey culture has edged kids off the ice. “Minor hockey in Canada has become a bit of a beast,” said Charlene Weaving, a human kinetics professor at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. It’s very expensive to participate and that excludes a lot of people,” she said. “It’s also become uber-competitive at a really young age and that may also discourage some young children from participating.”
ndeed, Bauer Hockey underscored declining participation rates as a key concern earlier this week. It called on Hockey Canada to shift its focus from elite performance and national team victories to growing the game. Weaving said the board’s new leadership has an opportunity to include new voices and build equity, diversity and inclusion in the organization, saying it needs a “reality check and a total overhaul. There needs to be a big shake-up at Hockey Canada and the answer isn’t just flooding the board with women,” Weaving said.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9201423/h...ckoning-sport/