Could there be a more awkward place for Canadian hockey to kick off the World Youth Championship this week than Halifax? Hardly.
Last fall, the police started an investigation into the events of the winter of 2003 specifically in Halifax. A half-dozen Canadian youth national team players have allegedly raped an unconscious woman 20 years ago.
In the fall, the Canadian Hockey Association asked Halifax police to open an investigation into the incident after TSN’s Rick Westhead had first revealed the suspicions.
Canadian hockey, marred by rape scandals, will make the most disgusting return to the scene of the crime in the beginning of the tournament.
Unfortunately, the events of 20 years ago in Halifax are only the tip of the iceberg in the bleakness of Canadian hockey in the 21st century. In recent months, the headlines have also seen events in London from four years ago. According to the latest information, five young World Cup players have been suspected of raping a 20-year-old woman in connection with the summer gala event.
The wider picture paints an even darker picture of the whole.
The system has protected sex offenders by the millions
In Canada’s case, it’s not just about the drunken vagaries of stupid young people, but about a rotten and completely toxic culture, where sexual crimes have been silently watched from the sidelines for decades. The Canadian Hockey Association even had a fund, from which the victims of sexual crimes have been paid to remain silent over the years.
It’s about millions of dollars. Only series fan, junior coach by Graham James According to the association, the Canadian Ice Hockey Federation has paid almost seven million dollars in compensation to the victims. In total, the compensation sums rise to almost eight million dollars – more than eight, when the spring compensation for the victim of 2018 is included.
Part of the compensation has been collected from parents of children playing hockey.
It’s hard to come up with a more repulsive equation, no matter how hard you try.
At the center of everything has been the protection of the testosterone-smelling geek culture. Especially in Canada, hockey players are already stars at a young age, who have been ruthlessly protected by a sickly twisted culture. It can clichédly be said that hockey is so big in Canada that the sport has started to live in its own reality according to its own laws.
It is appropriate to ask why, for example, in the case of London, the Canadian Ice Hockey Federation did not seriously find out what really happened as soon as they heard about it in 2018? The same question could be asked of the London police, who closed the case without charges in the winter of 2019.
However, few in Canada were surprised by the actions of the London police.
Already in 2017, the respected Canadian magazine The Globe and Mail had told how the London police had the highest rejection rates for sexual crimes in almost the entire country. This fit the values of Canadian hockey perfectly.
A year later, in connection with the investigation of the youth national team players, the London police did not submit the investigation materials to the independent committee established to support the police, whose purpose is to investigate all sexual crimes that go uncharged. No one knows why the police acted this way.
Immeasurable reputational damage
Now the London police have reopened the investigation of the summer 2018 case. For the latest information (you will switch to another service) according to the police have reason to suspect five players of rape in a London hotel in the summer of 2018.
The details brought out from the latest investigation reports were chilling to read. After the woman took a shower, the player who had sex with the victim had invited other players to the room, who entered the room with golf clubs. According to the victim, at the end of the night, the caller had filmed two more videos asking the woman, among other things, if she was going to go to the police.
According to the victim, the player filmed the videos asking if the victim was “OK” in order to protect his privacy. The victim did not remember anything from the videos.
In addition to everything mentioned above, the most shameful thing is how long it has taken the Canadian Hockey Association and the local authorities to solve the cases. It’s been four and a half years since the London incident alone and it’s still not over. Actions in this regard are inexcusable.
At the same time, hockey in Canada has been attacked in an unprecedented way. The amount of damage to the reputation experienced by the country’s ice hockey is immeasurable, and the material damages are not small either.
Nike, Bauer and Tim Hortons have withdrawn from the main cooperation partners, and in addition, the association lost its annual state support of 14 million dollars (approx. 10 million euros) for the time being.
The dirty laundry still hasn’t been finished yet.
New management announced
The management has completely changed. A few days ago, the Canadian Ice Hockey Federation was replaced by an interim committee of the new board (you move to another service), whose first task is to hire a new CEO. The speeches are beautiful and the changes are in the right direction, but credibility will not be restored this easily, because the structures are still in mold.
For example, in the hearings of a committee under the Canadian House of Representatives, it was revealed that in the last five years, 1-2 cases of abuse have come to light in Canadian hockey. The nest must be cleaned and the punishments meted out before the table is clean.
The International Ice Hockey Federation Iihf and the NHL are also conducting their own investigations at the same time. Just the fact that Canada was allowed to hold their upcoming World Cup tournament in Halifax is questionable, but will still somehow go through due to scheduling reasons.
A whole other discussion is related to whether Canada has a place in international top hockey in 2023, for example the WC hosted by Tampere and Riga?
You shouldn’t have to dig very deep for the answer: Canada should be closed to international puck for a limited time.
For decades, the actions of the country’s ice hockey management have been exceptionally repulsive and outrageous. Canadian hockey has been seeded in its home country with all the money, but the international community must also send an exceptionally strong message here and now.
Only then can confidence in Canadian hockey slowly begin to return.
The soon-to-be-started Youth World Cup has an aftertaste, just like the finished soccer games – and not a particularly positive one.