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NHL Players Face Suspensions & Hockey Canada Prepares Summit to Address Toxic Masculinity

Aug 30, 2023

All summer long, hockey fans have been waiting to find out what exactly Hockey Canada and the NHL were going to do in regard to the 2018 World Juniors Scandal, where a young lady has accused as many as 8 players from that roster had (allegedly) committed a form of sexual assault. An allegation that has led to more than one year of investigations and has rocked Hockey Canada (HC) to its core. 

 

The federal government froze Hockey Canada’s funding after it was revealed the organization had quietly settled a lawsuit with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by members of the 2018 men’s junior team at a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont., that year. There had been a cascade effect, causing provincial hockey regulatory bodies to disassociate with HC in protest of its bloated board of governors having done nothing of substance to address the issue when it surfaced. In August of 2022, Sheldon Kenedy, a retired NHL player and an advocate for sexual abuse survivors, called for Hockey Canada’s leadership to resign. 

 

“For the betterment of the game and kids, the leadership group at Hockey Canada must resign as they have lost the trust of Canadians in their ability to lead.” –Sheldon Kennedy 

 

The belief now, as we near the end of August 2023, is that the results of the investigation will yield some type of closure. Probably not for the young lady who leveled the accusation, but maybe for the fans of the sport. According to Andy Strickland, the NHL will reveal aspects of that investigation and the consequences will lead to five players facing NHL suspensions, and other sanctions. He even mentioned that the “names will be significant”. 

 

 

 

 

Bill Daly was recently questioned by Michael Russo of The Athletic on where the investigation stood, and asked about the pending suspensions. He also asked why this process has taken a very long time, Daly responded with: 

“I think the investigation takes whatever time it needs to take. You want to do a thorough job. You want to get all the information you can. I think it’s only fair to gather all the information you can. I do think we expect to see a final report very shortly, and then what flows from that is really an unknown at this point. But I expect that that’ll play out, this is going to sound redundant, but sooner rather than later.” 

 

By sheer coincidence (not really), HC has begun it’s “Above the Boards” Summit, bringing together several speakers, men, women, all with a focus on changing the culture. “It is clear the issue of toxic masculinity in hockey is pervasive and threatens the future of the sport we all love,” said the Hon. Hugh L. Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors and honorary chair of the summit. “Although we recognize it cannot be solved during a two-day conference, we need to start somewhere and hope to look back on the inaugural Beyond the Boards Summit as a turning point for the culture of hockey in Canada. 

 

 

 

 

The summit will occur in Calgary on September 8th and 9th. With Hockey Canada publisizing the event as “a series of sessions that bring together leaders in hockey, external subject-matter experts, individuals with lived experiences and other stakeholders to identify ways to guide future discussions and actions that will make positive changes to the culture of the game.” 

 

There is change occurring on every front in the game, from the QMJHL banning fighting, to now a review of toxic masculinity. That includes the traditions of hazing that young men face as they move up in the game, with some rituals crossing many lines. 

 

 

With all of this, and the anticipated release of names to be suspended for alleged abuse, the timing of this summit may force Hockey Canada to come out with a statement, and one that will need to address the events in 2018. With the topics chosen and two days of panels including one chaired by Kennedy, a literature review of findings on “The evolution of elite hockey culture in Canada: A scoping literature review” and topics such as “Leading at the Intersection of Masculinity and Hockey”, it’s clear that HC is prepared for the fact they will be facing difficult questions. 

 

 

Blain Potvin

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