Players on Canada’s senior women’s hockey teams are demanding a “thorough and transparent investigation” into recent allegations of sexual assault involving Hockey Canada teams, and say the organization has a lot to do to address “toxic behaviour” in the sport.
The players from Canada’s most recent Olympic and world championship teams posted an open letter to Hockey Canada’s executives and board of governors Monday on the eve of a second round of parliamentary hearings into the organization’s handling of sexual assault complaints.
Have you experienced a toxic hockey culture? What do you think can be done to change it? Send an email at ask@cbc.ca. We are listening.
“We join all Canadians in demanding a thorough and transparent investigation of the incidents in question, as well as the structure, governance and environment that exists within [Hockey Canada],” the letter read.
“Once the whole truth is out, Hockey Canada and its elected board must ensure that all steps are taken and appropriate measures are put in place to ensure that this kind of behaviour is never again accepted, and never repeated.”
The letter was published after Hockey Canada released on Monday a plan to combat the “toxic” culture in its sport.
The plan includes the implementation by the end of September of a centralized tracking and reporting system for abuse complaints. It said the results will be published annually to “hold Hockey Canada accountable.”
A Statement from the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team <a href=”https://t.co/vBXyxo7zqf”>pic.twitter.com/vBXyxo7zqf</a>
The organization will publish an annual social responsibility report, which will include information on complaints received at both the national team and subnational levels and a scorecard based on “key performance indicators.” Hockey Canada said it was in the process of identifying the measures to be included in the scorecard.
Hockey Canada did not say what data on the complaints will be made public in the report, but historical allegations of sexual assault will not be included.
Hockey Canada also says it will implement enhanced screening for high-performance players — “considering their behaviour and track record outside of their time with Hockey Canada and outside of the rink.” It will mandate that breaching the organization’s code of conduct or refusing to participate in an investigation could result in a lifetime ban.
WATCH | Hockey Canada ending use of reserve fund to settle sexual assault claims:
Hockey Canada says it will no longer use equity fund to settle sexual assault claims
4 days ago
Duration 4:41
Hockey Canada said in a statement Wednesday its National Equity Fund will no longer be used to settle sexual assault claims.
The women, in their letter, said they were “encouraged” by the action plan, but added it was only “a step toward addressing toxic behaviours.”
“There is much more work and action needed to fully address the underlying issues in order to ensure a new Hockey Canada emerges from this crisis.”
The measures outlined Monday are in addition to those announced by Hockey Canada in a July 14 open letter, which came amid intense criticism for the organization’s handling of a sexual assault allegation involving eight players, and settlement of an ensuing lawsuit, following a 2018 gala in London, Ont. A second sexual assault allegation involving the Canadian team participating at the 2003 junior championship in Halifax surfaced on Friday.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
An independent review of Hockey Canada’s governance and a commitment to become a full signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, a new government agency with the power to independently investigate abuse complaints and levy sanctions, were announced in the open letter.
Hockey Canada also said previously it would create an independent mechanism to handle complaints at the regional, provincial and local levels, which are not covered by the OSIC.
Julie Macfarlane, a law professor and Member of the Order of Canada who previously worked as an employment mediator, told CBC Sports in an email that Hockey Canada’s plan lacks transparency.
“There is no mention of any qualifications for the [‘independent third party’] or the mediator. Often the default is to a lawyer. That may be fine if they have been trained to be a mediator or an investigator — we have no national accreditation for these roles so the training is a bit hit and miss — but there are some reputable programs.
“There is no mention either of whether the ITP/mediator will be trauma-informed and trained to work with victims of abuse,” Macfarlane wrote.
Additionally, she said the plan skips information on how outcomes will be communicated to victims and noted the use of non-disclosure agreements as defaults as a “major problem.”
“Effectively this means that the outcomes will be just as secret as they have always been. There needs to be a clear commitment to offering victims confidentiality but not requiring them to sign an NDA, which makes their privacy depend on protecting the perpetrators,” Macfarlane wrote.
WATCH | Trudeau calls report of legal fund for abuse claims ‘unacceptable’:
Trudeau responds to latest allegations against Hockey Canada
6 days ago
Duration 0:57
Responding to a report that Hockey Canada had a legal fund to pay off sexual assault victims, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doubled down on his support for freezing the organization’s funding pending an investigation.
Hockey Canada’s plans to donate to the Kids Help Phone charitable organization in response to the claims left the CEO of the phone line upset over the use of its name without consent.
Kids Help Phone’s CEO Katherine Hay tweeted her disapproval of Hockey Canada’s plans, calling it a “self serving attempt to align with our good” on Friday.
“Do better, Hockey Canada, and apologize,” added Hay in the post.
Today, I was shocked when Hockey Canada said they will make donations to <a href=”https://twitter.com/KidsHelpPhone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KidsHelpPhone</a> as part of ‘safety, wellness and equity initiatives’, using our name without consulting us! Nope!Self serving attempt to align with our good. Do better Hockey Canada and apologize!
CBC News confirmed the charitable organization hasn’t received an apology about the unilateral use of the phone line’s name as of Monday night.
Hearing this week
The House of Commons standing committee on Canadian heritage will hear testimony Tuesday and Wednesday. Hockey Canada had its federal funding frozen and multiple corporate partners pause sponsorships after former chief executive Tom Renney and current president and CEO Scott Smith testified about their handling of the 2018 allegation in a parliamentary hearing on June 20.
Smith and Renney testified the 19 players present at the London event were “strongly encouraged” to speak with third-party investigators, but not mandated to do so.
Smith took over from Renney as Hockey Canada CEO on July 1.
Smith and Renney have been subpoenaed to testify Wednesday, along with the heads of the Canadian Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League, as well as Glen McCurdie, Hockey Canada’s former vice-president of insurance and risk management.
WATCH | Is it possible to change Canada’s hockey culture?:
Ottawa Morning10:04Can hockey culture in Canada change?
Brady Leavold is a former CHL player and skated for teams in Saskatchewan and British Columbia and is now a podcast host. Tara Slone is a former co-host of Rogers Hometown Hockey and an advocate of social change. Both say it’s time for the sport to undergo a systemic shift in the sport’s culture that has been ingrained in hockey for decades.
The Canadian Press reported on July 18 that Hockey Canada maintains a fund that draws on minor hockey membership fees to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims. The detail was included in a July 2021 affidavit sworn by McCurdie as part of a lawsuit launched by an injured player in Ontario.
Hockey Canada has since said the fund will no longer be used to settle sexual assault claims.
The action plan released Monday also includes mandatory chaperones for underage athletes at Hockey Canada events to enforce curfews and ensure no alcohol is consumed. Hockey Canada also said it will no longer host “open bar” events.
The action plan says a review of all existing training programs performed by a third-party organization is underway.
Hockey Canada said an independent board will be appointed by Sept. 15 to ensure its plan is implemented.
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
MacKenzie Weegar wasn’t bitter or upset as he watched friends live out their dreams.
The Calgary Flames defenceman just hopes to experience the same feeling one day. He also knows the road leading to that moment, if it does arrive, will likely be long and winding — much like his own path.
A seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar climbed the ranks to become an important piece of a roster that captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2021-22.
Two months later following a second-round playoff exit, he was traded to the Flames along with Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. And less than two years after that, the Panthers were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“Happy for the city and for the team,” Weegar said of Florida’s June victory over the Edmonton Oilers. “There was no bad taste in my mouth.”
His sole focus, he insists, is squarely on eventually getting the Flames to the same spot. The landscape, however, has changed drastically since Weegar committed to Calgary on an eight-year, US$50-million contract extension in October 2022.
Weegar has watched a list that includes goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov and forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane shipped out of town since the start of last season — largely for picks, prospects and young players as part of a rebuild.
Despite that exodus, he remains committed to the Calgary project steered by general manager Craig Conroy.
“It’s easy to get out of all whack when you see guys trying to leave or wanting new contracts,” the 30-year-old from Ottawa said at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “I just focus on where I am and where I want to be, and that’s Calgary.
“I believe in this team. The city has taken me in right away. I feel like I owe it to them to stick around and grind through these years and get a Stanley Cup.”
The hard-nosed blueliner certainly knows what it is to grind.
After winning the Memorial Cup alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, Weegar toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for three seasons before making his NHL debut late in the 2016-17 campaign with the Panthers.
He would spend the next five years in South Florida as one of the players tasked with shifting an organizational culture that had experienced little success over the previous two decades.
“There’s always going to be a piece of my heart and loyalty to that team,” Weegar said. “But now I’m in a different situation … I compete against all 32 teams, not just Florida. There’s always a chip on my shoulder every single year.”
Weegar set career highs with 20 goals — eight was the most he had ever previously registered — and 52 points in 2023-24 as part of a breakout offensive performance.
“I think my buddies cared a lot more than I did,” he said with a smile. “All I hear is, ‘fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.'”
Weegar was actually more proud of his 200 blocked shots and 194 hits as he looks to help set a new Flames’ standard alongside Huberdeau, captain Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Rasmus Andersson for a franchise expected to have its new arena in time for the 2027-28 season.
“You have to build that culture and that belief in the locker room,” said Weegar, who pointed to 22-year-old centre Connor Zary as a player set to pop. “Those young guys are going to have to come into their own and be consistent every night … they’re the next generation.”
Weegar, however, isn’t punting on 2024-25. He pointed to the NHL’s parity and the fact a couple of teams surprise every season.
It’s the same approach that took him from the ECHL a decade ago to hockey’s premier pre-season event inside a swanky hotel on Sin City’s famed strip, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s best.
“From the outside — media and even friends and family — the expectations are probably a bit lower,” Weegar said of Calgary’s outlook. “But there’s no reason to think that we can’t make playoffs and we can’t be a good team (with) that underdog mentality.
“You never know.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept 17, 2024.
Jose Maria Celestino da Costa was named vice-president and head of soccer operations while Marianne Brooks was appointed vice-president of partnerships, Kelly Shouldice as vice-president of brand and content and Joyce Sou as vice-president of finance and business operations.
The new six-team women’s pro league is set to kick off in April.
“Their unique expertise and leadership are crucial as we lay the foundation for not just a successful league in Canada, but one that stands among the top sports leagues in the world,” NSL president Christina Litz said in a statement. “By investing in top-tier talent and infrastructure, the Northern Super League is committed to creating a league that will elevate the game and set new standards for women’s professional soccer globally.”
Da Costa will oversee all on-field matters, including officiating. His resume includes stints with Estoril Praia, a men’s first-division team in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, where he helped develop the Portuguese women’s league.
Brooks spent a decade with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, working in “partnership sales and retention efforts” for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, and Rogers Arena. Most recently, she served as senior director of account management at StellarAlgo, a software company that helps pro sports teams connect with their fans
Shouldice has worked for Corus Entertainment, the Canadian Football League, and most recently as vice-president of Content and Communications at True North Sports & Entertainment, where she managed original content as well as business and hockey communications.
Sou, who was involved in the league’s initial launch, will oversee financial planning, analysis and the league’s expansion strategy in her new role.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
