“It is unacceptable what happened. »
Posted at 3:36 p.m.
A usually discreet man, David Savard doesn’t mince his words about Hockey Canada’s collapse.
“It’s what having children and seeing people like that,” continues the defender, who is the father of a girl and two boys.
Since May, Hockey Canada has been in the news every day. The out-of-court settlement of a civil lawsuit for sexual assault last spring opened the door to a series of revelations about the organization’s management methods. For more than 30 years, the national federation has multiplied confidential agreements with victims of aggression and has paid them millions of dollars, in particular by having recourse to funds supplied by the registrations of young players in the country.
A gang rape, allegedly carried out in 2018, particularly shocked the public. To this day, the suspects, the majority of whom were from the Canadian junior team, have not been named. Throughout the summer, and again in recent weeks, Hockey Canada leaders have been hounded by parliamentarians in Ottawa, starting with Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge, who has more or less called for a “housekeeping at the head of the organization. One after another, major sponsors have dumped the federation.
Last Saturday, interim board chair Andrea Skinner tendered her resignation. And this Tuesday, the remaining administrators as well as the president and general manager of Hockey Canada, Scott Smith, imitated it.
Many members of the Montreal Canadiens have had ties to Hockey Canada. Including the coaching staff, nearly twenty of them have worn the maple leaf uniform on the international scene, whether in the junior ranks, at the world championships, the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
To say that they are emptying their hearts today would be an exaggeration. Respondents followed the thread of events to varying degrees – “I’m not on social media,” succinctly quipped Josh Anderson, who was on the Canadian roster at the most recent world championship last May.
One observation, however, emerges. “We hope that the right people will be held responsible so that we can move forward,” summarized Brendan Gallagher, by far the most talkative in the locker room on this subject.
“There is a breach of trust with Hockey Canada, added the one who represented his country three times. I hope that the investigations will follow their course. Hockey Canada has long projected a positive image; there, it is obvious that things must change. »
“It’s very disappointing to see the events that have taken place,” said head coach Martin St-Louis, who played six times for the Canadian team.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Martin St Louis
“As in anything, people have to take responsibility. That’s what happened. »
Asked whether, in his view, a change was necessary at the head of Hockey Canada, St-Louis simply answered “yes”, without going into detail.
“No one is proud” of the escalation of revelations in recent months, chained Jonathan Drouin, a regular at international meetings in the junior ranks.
“You hope it’s not true,” he added. But unfortunately, we live in a world where this is very real. It’s sad to see. »
Spontaneously, the Quebecer also had a thought for the victims of aggression and for their families. “It’s something that marks for life. »
“Reborn”
Jake Allen, for his part, wants Hockey Canada to take the opportunity to “reborn the right way”.
Because, he insists, “there is much more good than bad in hockey”. In this environment as in society, “everyone must be responsible for their actions”.
Inappropriate behavior “is not the norm”, insists David Savard, gold medalist with the Canadian team at the 2015 world senior championship.
“Hockey players get a bad reputation because of incidents like that,” he laments, hastening to add that “we hear good stories too.”
Brendan Gallagher holds the same speech. Nothing will ever take away the “pride” he felt wearing the maple leaf. He underlines all that the organization has done for the development of minor hockey, women’s hockey, disabled sports… “There is so much good that is supposed to come from that,” he adds. Hence the importance of a recovery made “with caution”.
“I hope that we will learn from that and that we will be better afterwards”, concludes Nick Suzuki.