Canada’s regional hockey associations threatened to withhold membership fees unless the union took action after the rape scandal.
Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Hockey Association Michael Brind’Amour resigns immediately. He announced his decision to the board on Friday evening.
– My last period ends in November, and I know that there is no need to wait for a new period. Immediate action is necessary as we prepare to address the challenges facing our organization and our sport, which our action plan seeks to achieve. I would not be able to carry out this reform and have therefore announced that I am resigning from the government, Brind’Amour wrote in a statement, according to Sportsnet (You’re moving to another service).
Earlier, Canada’s regional hockey federations issued a letter threatening to freeze membership fees unless the Canadian Hockey Association took concrete steps towards transparency and accountability.
In a letter, the 13 federations said they were appalled and concerned by “the alleged conduct and the leadership and decisions of the Canadian Hockey Association.”
A rape scandal has been swirling around the Canadian Hockey Association in recent months. First it turned out that the Canadian Ice Hockey Federation agreed to a trial with a woman who said she was raped by eight players in June 2018. Some of them also belonged to the Canadian under-20 junior team.
The Canadian Hockey Association paid compensation to the victim from the association’s equity fund. The fund is maintained with membership fees, which means part of the funds have been collected from registered players.
During the incident, another incident from almost 20 years ago has also come to light, as members of Canada’s 2003 World Youth Championship team have allegedly committed gang rape. TSN told (you switch to another service)that more than six national team players had sex with a woman who was in an unconscious state.
The Canadian Hockey Association is reopening its investigation into the 2018 incident. The association requires every player who was part of the team in the 2017–2018 season to participate in the investigation. Halifax police are also launching an investigation into the 2003 events.