Hockey Canada is facing another round of federal hearings on the matter.Jeff Vinnick
Hockey Canada is reopening a third-party investigation into allegations of sexual assault involving eight Canadian Hockey League players, after the organization’s handling of the alleged incident triggered federal committee hearings and the suspension of corporate partnerships.
The national governing body for hockey said in an open letter on Thursday that it will take a number of measures to “end the culture of toxic behaviour” within the sport. Among the actions outlined is the resumption of a probe into allegations that a group of CHL players, including members of the 2018 gold-medal-winning world junior team, sexually assaulted a woman after a Hockey Canada Foundation gala in London, Ont., on June 18, 2018.
The fallout from the allegations has been widespread. Ottawa paused its funding to Hockey Canada as it conducts a financial audit to confirm that taxpayer dollars weren’t used in a settlement related to the alleged incident. The National Hockey League launched its own investigation, since a number of players who attended the 2018 gala may now be in the league.
Companies such as Scotiabank, Tim Hortons and Telus paused or withdrew their support for Hockey Canada or specific events, including the world juniors taking place in Alberta next month.
In Montreal on Thursday, Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge described the measures announced by Hockey Canada as a “good step in the right direction,” but said she is waiting to see action before Ottawa makes any further decisions.
Hockey Canada is facing another round of federal hearings on the matter, slated for July 26 and 27 in Ottawa. In addition to Hockey Canada executives and government officials, the Canadian Heritage committee has said it wants to hear from the president of a liability insurance company and from Henein Hutchison, the law firm conducting the third-party probe.
Hockey Canada has said Henein Hutchison’s initial investigation couldn’t be completed because the alleged victim opted not to speak with the investigator. The woman’s lawyer, Rob Talach, said in an e-mail that his client will participate this time.
On top of reopening the investigation, Hockey Canada announced that it will also: require all high-performance players, coaches, team staff and volunteers to participate in mandatory sexual violence and consent training; conduct a governance review; commit to becoming a signatory to the recently created federal Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner; and create an independent and confidential complaint mechanism.
“We know we are at a crossroads, and that the journey ahead of us is an important one that will define not just the game going forward, but the future of Hockey Canada,” the organization said in its letter.
The allegations were made public in late May, when TSN reported that a settlement had been reached in a $3.55-million lawsuit, which cited eight unnamed players, the CHL and Hockey Canada as defendants. Hockey Canada has said it covered the settlement on behalf of the parties by liquidating a portion of its investments.
According to her statement of claim, the woman, now 24 years old, “engaged in sexual acts” with John Doe No. 1 in his hotel room. Without her consent, the claim reads, John Doe No. 1 then invited seven other players into the room, where they participated in “some or all” of a list of sexual acts.
Hockey Canada has said that the woman made a complaint to the London Police Service, which launched a criminal investigation. The sports organization has said it was notified in February of 2019 that the police service had closed its investigation. No charges were laid.
Anil Kapoor, a lawyer for one of the players, criticized Hockey Canada for its characterization of the allegations in the open letter. “This Hockey Canada letter starts from a presumption of guilt,” he said. “That’s profoundly unfair to the players. We have serious doubts about the fairness of the process.”
At the federal committee hearings last month, Hockey Canada’s outgoing CEO, Tom Renney, told MPs that within hours of learning of the allegations on June 19, 2018, the organization contacted local police and engaged Henein Hutchison to conduct the third-party investigation.
Mr. Renney, who said he informed Hockey Canada’s board in April, 2021, that he would not be extending his contract, said the organization told players it was their choice whether to participate in the probe, but encouraged them to do so. Hockey Canada executives gave conflicting testimony to the committee about the number of players who participated in the probe.
In its open letter, Hockey Canada says it will now require all players to participate in the reopened probe. If they don’t, they’ll be banned from all Hockey Canada activities and programs.
“The investigation, once complete, will be referred to an independent adjudicative panel of current and former judges who will determine the appropriate consequences, which may include a lifetime ban from Hockey Canada activity, on and off the ice,” the letter says.
The NHL declined to say whether the league would force players to participate in its investigation and what consequences they might face if they don’t. “The NHL intends to continue pursuing and conducting our investigation,” league spokesperson Gary Meagher said in an e-mail. “We will not be commenting further until it has been completed.”
In terms of federal funding, Ms. St-Onge has said that Hockey Canada would only see it restored once the organization signed onto the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, whose mandate is to confront serious complaints of abuse and maltreatment in sport. She has also said that Hockey Canada must disclose the recommendations made as a result of Henein Hutchison’s initial investigation. (Hockey Canada’s open letter doesn’t include a commitment to releasing any such recommendations.)
Several Hockey Canada partners that have withdrawn or paused their support also reacted to the open letter, including Scotiabank, which described the organization’s statement as a “positive next step,” and Nike, which said it has raised concerns with Hockey Canada and is “deeply disturbed” by the allegations. TSN and RDS, which are airing the world juniors next month, said they “look forward to reviewing the changes the organization will outline in its action plan.”
Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, who sits on the Canadian Heritage committee, said he expects the federal hearings at the end of the month to be “tumultuous.” In advance of the hearings, the committee has requested a redacted copy of the confidentiality agreement related to the settlement, as well as communications between Hockey Canada and teams, players and federal officials.
“Hockey Canada is right that people are angry,” Mr. Waugh said in an interview from Saskatoon, referring to comments made in the open letter. “I’ve heard it on the street here. You’d hear that all over the country.”
With reports from Simon Houpt, Joe Friesen and Colin Freeze
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GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
