Almost eight months after starting it, the NHL has still not completed its investigation into allegations of gang rape against members of Canada’s 2018 World Cup junior team.
The process “is very close to the end”, assured Gary Bettman, Tuesday, at the Bell Center. The commissioner of the circuit was in Montreal to attend the duel between the Boston Bruins and the Canadiens and lent himself to a scrum just before the game.
In particular, he argued that an “investigation of this nature” is not done “by snapping your fingers”, citing the challenge of obtaining access “to information and people” in connection with the case.
However, it is at least the third time, since the beginning of October, that the leaders of the league affirm that the investigation is completed, without seeing the result. Quoted by the Sportsnet network on October 4, Bill Daly, assistant commissioner of the NHL, said he had “almost finished” meeting the players linked to the scandal. In mid-November, a league spokesperson said in an email to The Press, that the investigation was “closer to the end than the beginning”. Two months later, the version is the same.
During the summer, Mr. Daly had however expressed the wish that, “in an ideal world”, the investigation would be concluded before the start of the training camps, that is to say in mid-September. On Tuesday, Gary Bettman instead stressed that this investigation was “not a race” and that he wanted things to be done “the right way”.
League investigators have not faced ‘resistance’ from potential witnesses, he says, but they have to deal with certain ‘realities’, including the need to coordinate with the Players’ Association in the planning meetings. “We can’t do everything unilaterally,” he said.
Not the only ones
The hockey world has been in turmoil since it was learned last May that Hockey Canada had reached a settlement with the alleged victim of a gang sexual assault. The events would have occurred in June 2018, on the sidelines of the annual banquet of the foundation of the organization in London, Ontario. In a civil lawsuit, a young woman claimed she was assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players, most of whom had been on the national junior team that year. The overwhelming majority of players in this formation (20 out of 22) play today in the NHL. To date, the identity of the suspects has not been released.
As of May 27, 2022, Gary Bettman announced the launch of an investigation. Hours before the draft in July, he called the alleged acts “horrible, horrifying and unacceptable”, promising “to get to the bottom of this matter [afin] to have a complete understanding of who did what”. All the players of the team would be questioned, he had assured. The investigation is being led by Jared Maples, executive vice president of circuit safety.
To Montreal journalists on Tuesday, Mr. Bettman reminded twice that the league he leads was “not the only one” to investigate the allegations.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Gary Bettman
Hockey Canada and the London police have indeed reactivated investigations on this subject. Both bodies had both opened and closed investigations following the events of 2018.
“No one has finished,” remarked the commissioner. This is incorrect: just before Christmas, Hockey Canada announced that the investigation it had commissioned from an outside firm was indeed complete. However, its conclusions have been entrusted to an independent review committee which will make recommendations to the Board of Directors as to the follow-up to be given to the exercise. This process is still ongoing.
In addition, on December 18, the Globe & Mail revealed that London police had “reasonable grounds” to believe that five players had indeed assaulted a young woman during the events of 2018.
Also on Tuesday, Gary Bettman emphasized the difficulty of “getting access to certain people” on short notice. The NHL does not have the authority to issue subpoenas to witnesses, he argued, and has limited access to “documentary” evidence.
“It’s complicated: you can’t just say ‘we want it to happen’. We have to do things the right way,” concluded the commissioner.
In short
In defense of Provorov
Gary Bettman persists and signs off on Ivan Provorov, who refused to take part in the warm-up the night his team, the Philadelphia Flyers, celebrated their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The Russian defender, let us remember, had invoked his religious beliefs to justify his abstention. The case caused a stir in the NHL. On Tuesday, the commissioner reaffirmed that “players must be comfortable with their individual beliefs”. “It’s a question of balance,” he added. I respect people’s beliefs. You have to look at the whole. [Nos joueurs] overwhelmingly support these causes. But not everyone agrees. Part of diversity is respecting the views of others. Even if it’s homophobia? asked the representative of The Press. “I’m not saying he’s homophobic,” Bettman said. Did you speak to him? I don’t know if he’s homophobic. »
No problem with obstruction
Almost daily, on social networks, a goal awarded or disallowed due to the presence of obstruction on the goalkeeper sows consternation. The public, the journalists who follow the activities of the NHL and, very often, the players and coaches themselves no longer know where to turn, as the regulations are applied so inconstantly. Again last week, the Florida Panthers opened the scoring against the Habs when Matthew Tkachuk obviously blocked the way for goaltender Samuel Montembeault. However, for Gary Bettman, there is no problem with this regulation. “People will sometimes say they don’t understand something because they don’t like the decision,” he said Tuesday in Montreal. It’s judgment, and we have no problem with how decisions are made. A coach should not ask for a challenge if he is unsure of the outcome. »
Where that from tanking ?
After praising the high level of competitiveness currently offered by the 32 teams on the circuit, Mr. Bettman was asked about the tanking, a phenomenon in which teams self-sabotage in order to drop their position in the standings and improve their draft rank. At the moment, while all teams on the circuit would dream of selecting the young prodigy Connor Bedard next June, five teams already have a success rate below .400 in the general classification. And others could join them in the shallows by the end of the season. Bettman, however, totally denied any willful maneuvering by team leaders. ” There is no tanking because we have a lottery,” he said. Thus, the team that finishes last only has a 25% chance of being drafted first. “You will not lose a game just to get a few more percentage points,” continued the commissioner. To suggest that there is tanking does not fit with the professionalism of our players and coaches [qui] do their best to win. »
The calendar is complicated
The first duel of the season between the Canadiens and the Bruins, at the end of January, reminded us that the two teams will meet only three times this season. Under the current NHL schedule, division rivals no longer routinely play each other four times. The situation is deplored by supporters of markets at the heart of historical or geographical rivalries – Boston-Montreal, Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, Edmonton-Calgary… That doesn’t prevent Gary Bettman from sleeping either. Scheduling is “a very complicated job,” he said, even more so since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of many shows in amphitheaters, creating congestion. “The current configuration works very well,” he said, adding that he did not want to create a problem by correcting another.