There are too many horror stories in hockey

Things are going badly in hockey.

Obviously, the first point to raise when talking about the toxic culture of the hockey world is in relation to the history of Hockey Canada junior. What happened with the 2018 edition is obviously being sorted out…

But the fact remains that what happened, both with the crime and theway it’s been handled since, shows very clearly that the hockey world in general is still backward.

Need more examples?

The story of the referee who was beaten up in Saint-Rémi by a disgruntled parent. I invite you to read La Presse’s article on the subject for more details.

“Parents have become crazy.”

In Saint-Rémi, Quebec, a 50-year-old father has been charged with assault after he allegedly slapped a referee in the head when his son was thrown out of a hockey game following his third penalty, La Presse reports.
The local hockey association in…

– Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) January 25, 2024

There’s also the case of a sexual assault investigation dating back to 2002-2003. The case is less talked about than the one in 2018, but in Halifax, an investigation continues to take place.

Witnesses continue to be questioned.

Update: The Halifax Regional Police continue to investigate a historical sexual assault that is alleged to have occurred in the city during the 2002-03 World Juniors tournament and involved multiple members of Canada’s team, a police spokesman told TSN.
“As with any… https://t. co/ExNRki11nR

– Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) January 25, 2024

Then there’s Carl Latulippe’s class action suit against the CHL, QMJHL and its teams. He’s asking for $15.7 million for abuses suffered in the QMJHL over time.

A judge will hear Mr. Latulippe’s arguments on March 19 and decide whether the case will be treated as a class action.

Former Chicoutimi Saguenéens player Carl Latulippe filed a $15.7M lawsuit in April 2023 against the CHL, the QMJHL and its teams, alleging he and other rookie players were beaten with bars of soap in towels and were forced to watch pornography and masturbate on a team bus in the…

– Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) January 25, 2024

Not all the stories are from yesterday, but did you notice two things about the tweets in my article? First, they’re all from today – this morning, in fact.

And second, they’re all from the pen of Rock Westhead.

Of course, the sports journalist isn’t the only one to work on such issues (Martin Leclerc, in Quebec, does a fine job in this area too… and it was on La Presse that the Saint-Rémi story was published, among others), but let’s just say there aren’t many of them.

Who knows how many such stories are swept under the carpet?