Sources confirm NHL players facing charges in sexual assault investigation

[IllaZilla]

23 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

So are forums social media? I would say so, but don't consider them the societal poison pill the facebooks, instas, etc, represent.

 

Basically the red wording under your avatar makes a huge difference. Without good moderation, boards can turn into the Wild, Wild West...

[jammer2]

On 1/31/2024 at 8:56 AM, Molly Bell said:

There was a 16 year intoxicated girl raped by Ben Johnson of the Windsor Spitfires in a bathroom stall. They were both underage in a bar. The NJD dropped his contract when he was charged and he was found guilty. 

I remember it well. Ben ended up doing a bit of time.

[pilldoc]

1 hour ago, Brewin Flames said:

2 hours ago, CoachX said:

Is this forum considered social media?

 

 

More like an online insane asylum....

 

LOL .. yeah some of us have a few nuts loose ... LOL

 

 

Edited February 1 by pilldoc

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, CoachX said:

Is this forum considered social media?

Well, i mean, yeah. If you liberally prorate.

[CoachX]

21 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Well, i mean, yeah. If you liberally prorate.

8% ?

[radoran]

2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

Well, i mean, yeah. If you liberally prorate.

 

Just made a mental Superfan reference.

 

IYKYK

 

[ruxpin]

9 minutes ago, radoran said:

mental Superfan

I never heard of any other Superfan

 

All 88 of them.

[ruxpin]

11 minutes ago, radoran said:

 

Just made a mental Superfan reference.

 

IYKYK

 

You know the number of people left who would get this is probably less than 10. (And we're one of them)

Edited February 2 by ruxpin

[radoran]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

You know the number of people left who would get this is probably less than 10. (And we're one of them)

 

I don't have any third person pronouns.

 

Do not refer to me.

 

Edited February 2 by radoran

[Molly Bell]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/with-players-from-2018-world-junior-team-charged-lawyers-say-behind-the-scenes-legal-battles-brewing-1.2070822
 

Rick Westhead with another insightful article.

[JR Ewing]

 

[JR Ewing]

 

[hf101]

On 2/1/2024 at 3:38 PM, JR Ewing said:

 

Message forums have been a thing since we were dialing in to a local BBS; it's just that when the internet came along, the ability to spread beyond regional areas became a thing. While the owners of the major social media sites are wealthy beyond belief, forums are mostly hosted by guys like @hf101 running a server out of their basement or renting server space on a hosting site, and their righteous goal is community. People attribute all sorts of nefarious New World Order-type goals to the big ones, but mostly they just want to harvest and sell our data. It always amuses when people talk about somebody like Mark Zuckerberg as pushing a woke agenda, as if his programming even received that update. All that man knows is money.

 

So are forums social media? I would say so, but don't consider them the societal poison pill the facebooks, instas, etc, represent.

 

 

Yeah,  I do my best keep this place away from personal data, and knowledge as possible. Folks are not required to sign up via any meta interface. 

[JR Ewing]

6 minutes ago, hf101 said:

Yeah,  I do my best keep this place away from personal data, and knowledge as possible. Folks are not required to sign up via any meta interface. 

 

[JR Ewing]

Sheldon Kennedy on Hockey Canada: ‘Incidents happen in systems that are unwilling to change’

 

Pierre LeBrun

Sheldon Kennedy has spent the past 20-plus years of his life helping to reshape the grassroots of hockey and trying to make the sport a safer place.

 

As a sexual abuse victim in a case that rocked the hockey world in the 1990s, his courage and dedication in this space has been incredible.

 

And it continues.

 

He is the co-founder of the Respect Group, an online provider of prevention education related to bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.

 

In the wake of the Kyle Beach abuse scandal, Kennedy and his group were brought in by the NHL to implement training in this space.

But you can imagine there’s been a lot on his mind when it comes to the London, Ontario, 2018 Canadian world juniors case, one which is shaking the sport to its core again.

 

“First and foremost, always with these scenarios, my thoughts are obviously with the people who have been impacted in this event,” Kennedy said Monday morning in a phone interview with The Athletic. “And there’s many, I think, starting with the victim and others. However you want to slice it, it’s not good.

 

“The way I look at it, we can never get better unless we get down to the truth. To me, one way or another with this case, we need to get to the truth. That’s what’s expected with these scenarios now. We’ve made a major shift. The whole strategy used to be — and we know the Hockey Canada strategy was — to bury it. Don’t say anything. Don’t respond to media articles around these cases, just don’t say anything, and it’ll go away.

 

“That same strategy played out here in London. And I think we’ve realized that this is not going away. So there’s an accountability to do the right thing. To me, we need to find out, it needs to be very clear how the organization got to the decision that they got to. That is where we got to get to.”

 

 

Members from Canada's 2018 world junior team told to surrender to police

 

Kennedy said what happens in the courts and the legal part of it in London will play itself out. He’s focused on the Hockey Canada part of it, from how things were handled at the outset.

 

“I know people don’t like to hear it, but I think we need to hear it: It’s that systemic piece,” he said. “The systemic piece doesn’t fall on an individual. It falls on a system. How did a system have so many people in leadership believe that this was the right thing to do? And to me, it’s because it’s what they always did.”

 

It speaks to the issues still existing within the culture of the sport.

 

“We talk about building good people, but I have not seen the tools that have been put in place within Hockey Canada at the national levels to actually do that,” Kennedy said. “We’re trying to build really good people with hockey skills, and to me, we have to be purposeful about: How are we going to educate on respect? What is it for these young men and women — what does that look like? What are our expectations and what are our values? How do we hold one another accountable?

 

“How did we get to the point where there’s individuals in the room and not one person put their hand up and said, ‘Geez, this isn’t good’?

 

“That one gets me.”

 

That cuts right to the heart of it all.

 

And it’s why Kennedy has been so dedicated for so many years in trying to chip away at the root issues with the education and training that his Respect Group offers. The NHL has been on board with it, with 10,146 individuals certified by Respect Group and all set to be re-certified this year. Respect Group has certified thousands more across the AHL (2,365), ECHL (732), USHL (531), IIHF (899), CHL (1,214) and PHF (143).

 

“We trained every single employee in management on every single NHL team,” Kennedy said.

 

And now the NHL Players’ Association is also on board, working to launch a program by the fall that will provide players with online tools to identify, prevent, and address bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.

 

“We’ve now got a player-specific program that aligns with the respect in the workplace program with the NHL,” Kennedy said of the NHLPA respect training program.

 

He also pointed to the work happening in the Western Hockey League, which is relevant when you talk about getting through to junior hockey players.

 

“There is a real big effort there and they’ve delivered the respect charter,” Kennedy said of the WHL’s efforts. “Every team has to create a respect charter for themselves. What does that mean? How do we hold one another accountable? What’s our values? What’s our standards? It’s very good.

 

“To me, it’s about putting these types of values and language into action.”

 

Outgoing WHL commissioner Ron Robison explained Monday that last year, the league partnered with Kennedy and piloted a program called the Respect Charter.

 

“It’s a workshop, which really is unique in many ways, because it empowers the players to set their position, if you will, on what type of culture they want for their team,’’ Robison told The Athletic. “We piloted last season with three teams: Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary. This year, we rolled that program out to all the teams. It’s a mandatory Respect Charter workshop.”

 

It’s also worth pointing out that Respect Group has done work at the grassroots level with Hockey Canada. Last year, 73,000 individuals were certified through Hockey Canada’s partnership with Respect Group. But Kennedy’s point here is the disconnect at the leadership level when it comes to what happened six years ago.

 

The London case has already had an impact at Hockey Canada as far as leadership changes, to be sure. But is that going to be enough?

“Incidents happen in systems that are unwilling to change,” Kennedy said. “I still don’t feel in my gut that there’s an understanding (at Hockey Canada) that there was any wrongdoing. At all. I think the words were probably said, but I don’t feel it.”

 

Kennedy says building a better Hockey Canada culture has to be purposeful.

 

“We need a strategy from Day 1. What are our values? What is our culture?” Kennedy said. “How do we practice those values? How do we live those? And how do we teach those as our No. 1 priority when it comes to wearing the Hockey Canada badge on the front of your jersey? There has been nothing like that.”

 

He paused before adding:

 

“Our goal is to empower people and build confidence and understanding so that at least two or three of those people (in London) can put their hands up and say, ‘Listen, No, you’re not doing this, man. This is not who we are.'”

 

And again, for Kennedy that starts with Hockey Canada leadership embracing it in a real way.

 

“This is about actually living and breathing and believing that there’s a better way,” Kennedy said. “And looking in the mirror and stepping outside that box and understanding that we have to be the best we can be. The leaders have to do it. To me, that’s the disconnect.”

 

It all goes back to how this was handled by Hockey Canada six years ago.

 

“The expectations have changed in today’s society,” Kennedy said. “We expect to better understand when these things happen, instead of just having them go away. To me, the responses were archaic. They were out of touch with the reality — with where these issues are today — the way they responded to this case to begin with.”

 

As Kennedy said, it will be important to understand what happened in London for many reasons.

 

“Because it can’t happen again,” he said.

 

Which means changing systemic culture in the sport in a meaningful way.

 

https://theathletic.com/5235911/2024/01/29/sheldon-kennedy-hockey-canada-london/?source=emp_shared_article

[Molly Bell]

1 hour ago, JR Ewing said:

 

 

The commissioner said it's "both inaccurate and unfair" to say there are systemic culture issues in hockey. He said hockey players and hockey families "overwhelmingly conduct themselves appropriately."
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of players, certainly in our league, conduct themselves appropriately," said Bettman. 
"...To take a handful of players in this or in other situations and use those allegations and condemn a particular sport, I don't think is reflective of what we are."

BULLLSHITTT! 
 

And your other post Sheldon Kennedy talks about just how systemic the problem is. 

Bettman is a douche canoe.

 

[JR Ewing]

25 minutes ago, Molly Bell said:

 

The commissioner said it's "both inaccurate and unfair" to say there are systemic culture issues in hockey. He said hockey players and hockey families "overwhelmingly conduct themselves appropriately."
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of players, certainly in our league, conduct themselves appropriately," said Bettman. 
"...To take a handful of players in this or in other situations and use those allegations and condemn a particular sport, I don't think is reflective of what we are."

BULLLSHITTT! 
 

And your other post Sheldon Kennedy talks about just how systemic the problem is. 

Bettman is a douche canoe.

 

 

Agreed. The culture of the sport is rotten and has been for a very long time. This isn't new.

 

[thegx.ca]

12 hours ago, Molly Bell said:

 

The commissioner said it's "both inaccurate and unfair" to say there are systemic culture issues in hockey. He said hockey players and hockey families "overwhelmingly conduct themselves appropriately."
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of players, certainly in our league, conduct themselves appropriately," said Bettman. 
"...To take a handful of players in this or in other situations and use those allegations and condemn a particular sport, I don't think is reflective of what we are."

BULLLSHITTT! 
 

And your other post Sheldon Kennedy talks about just how systemic the problem is. 

Bettman is a douche canoe.

 

As much as I hate Bettman I gotta admit he is doing everything to make the NHL look less misogynistic...i mean look and NFL not going anything about Rothenberg and NBA with Kobe Bryan etc...creeps and rapists are literally in all walks of life whether Hollywood or eptein or the Royal Family or music industry with R Kelly etc...no need to over react just make sure you yourself personally aren't enabling or supporting rapists and pedophiles just worry about your own actions...I mean if we really want to expose where the most rapists and creepy behavior to girls says it's always the police forces all over the world until police culture is abolished the other bad culture places are small potatoes...

[CoachX]

16 hours ago, Molly Bell said:

 

The commissioner said it's "both inaccurate and unfair" to say there are systemic culture issues in hockey. He said hockey players and hockey families "overwhelmingly conduct themselves appropriately."
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of players, certainly in our league, conduct themselves appropriately," said Bettman. 
"...To take a handful of players in this or in other situations and use those allegations and condemn a particular sport, I don't think is reflective of what we are."

BULLLSHITTT! 
 

And your other post Sheldon Kennedy talks about just how systemic the problem is. 

Bettman is a douche canoe.

 

The problem I see with Bettmans comment is he’s trying to deflect. If the allegations are true, deflecting or defending makes you culpable in my eyes. In the face of such a tragedy, the level of the crime, trying to point out the good is beyond insensitive and suggests to me the guy is part of the problem 

 

any act of this magnitude should be looked at and evaluated for what it is. It should not be lumped into a larger number to make it look isolated. It shouldn’t matter if for every one sexual assault, there are 1000, or 1000, positive encounters. It’s like saying 1 million people crossed the border illegally, but only 100 children weee sex trafficked. You can’t look at the percentage and say it’s no that bad. Any singular offense of sexual abuse is unacceptable, and a person in Bettmans position should be focused on 100% compliance. Any person found guilty, regardless of their talent, celebrity, or skill, should pay the harshest price possible

[thegx.ca]

5 hours ago, CoachX said:

The problem I see with Bettmans comment is he’s trying to deflect. If the allegations are true, deflecting or defending makes you culpable in my eyes. In the face of such a tragedy, the level of the crime, trying to point out the good is beyond insensitive and suggests to me the guy is part of the problem 

 

any act of this magnitude should be looked at and evaluated for what it is. It should not be lumped into a larger number to make it look isolated. It shouldn’t matter if for every one sexual assault, there are 1000, or 1000, positive encounters. It’s like saying 1 million people crossed the border illegally, but only 100 children weee sex trafficked. You can’t look at the percentage and say it’s no that bad. Any singular offense of sexual abuse is unacceptable, and a person in Bettmans position should be focused on 100% compliance. Any person found guilty, regardless of their talent, celebrity, or skill, should pay the harshest price possible

But also wrongfully generalizing the entire industry as bad culture because of a few can't be the answer either since that's the very definition of prejudice and discrimination...

[CoachX]

1 hour ago, thegx.ca said:

But also wrongfully generalizing the entire industry as bad culture because of a few can't be the answer either since that's the very definition of prejudice and discrimination...

I agree. If that’s what you got from my post, that was not my intent. I think both are wrong; lumping the entire organization as bad because of a few, or minimizing a victim to protect the integrity of the organization. 

as for prejudice, most of have some form of prejudice inside of us. It’s acting on that prejudice negatively toward another that causes the problem. If I decide to hate Hockey Canada over this incident, or any of the players involved, that my prerogative. I think you mentioned Kobe  Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger earlier. I can assure you I have very strong hatred toward both of those individuals 

[CoachX]

14 hours ago, thegx.ca said:

What about football and basketball culture in general...? Du you think it's a bad as hockey or even Hollywood/Entertainment industry culture or even police culture?

I do think NFL and NBA are worse, but they all pale in comparison to the entertainment industry, imho

 

[Molly Bell]

It’s not a competition. This is a hockey forum. There is a systemic race culture in hockey. Period. 

[CoachX]

18 minutes ago, Molly Bell said:

It’s not a competition. This is a hockey forum. There is a systemic race culture in hockey. Period. 

Take breath. the majority of your posts aren’t hockey related

 

 

 

[JR Ewing]

Former WJC players' sex assault case to return to court on April 30

The Canadian Press

3–4 minutes

---

 

LONDON, Ont. — The sexual assault case against five former members of Canada's World Junior hockey team made its first appearance in a southwestern Ontario court Monday and is set to return at the end of April.

 

Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod were not present in the London, Ont., court and their lawyers appeared by video.

 

The players were charged with sexual assault late last month. A court document shows McLeod is facing an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence."

 

Lawyers for the players have said their clients will defend themselves against the allegations.

 

The charges relate to an alleged incident at a hotel in London in June 2018.

 

During a brief hearing Monday, prosecutors sought and obtained an order protecting the identity of the complainant, which is standard in sexual assault cases, as well as that of two witnesses.

 

Assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers also said the players' lawyers would receive "substantial disclosure" in the next few days.

 

Disclosure is the evidence collected by the prosecution against the accused.

 

The case will be back in court April 30.

 

Later Monday, London police are scheduled to provide an update on their investigation.

 

The police probe was initially closed without charges months after the alleged incident but investigators reopened it in 2022.

 

Hockey Canada and the NHL, where four of the accused now play, also launched their own investigations.

 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week the league would wait until the criminal case has concluded before commenting. Hockey Canada has not issued an official statement on the charges.

 

Dube plays for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils. Formenton previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a team in Switzerland. All have been permitted to go on indefinite leave.

 

Cases such as this one are part of a broader conversation about sports culture and masculinity, said Michael Kehler, a research professor of masculinities studies at the University of Calgary.

 

Sports culture has traditionally praised a certain type of masculinity focused on dominance, control and violence, he said.

 

"For a long time, you know, the messaging within sport culture has been, 'this is what it means to be successful, this is what it means to get praise and to get promoted,'" he said.

 

"Sport associations need to change the message and they need to do this in a way that points out that we need to have greater transparency, we need to have greater honesty, and we need to create safer spaces for sport."