Enrico Ciccone has long had the impression of preaching in the desert. With Gilles Lupien, his boss at the agency, they were the few who had the courage to denounce abuses in all their forms in the hockey world.
Now a liberal provincial deputy, and more detached from hockey since the end of his career as a players’ agent, which followed that of a hockey player, Ciccone sees languages loosen little by little. Whether it’s in the Kyle Beach abuse case or drug and opioid addictions revealed by former hockey players. It both rejoices and saddens him.
The Beach episode brought back a sad memory to him.
“There is a place where I was, people confided in me. I’ll just say it was abuse. I had supporting evidence, emails, texts. I went to the boss and asked him to do something. I offered to show him the emails, but he refused to see them. I warned him: “When it comes out, it won’t just affect the organization, but you too!” What do you do afterwards? I went back to my little business, telling myself that it didn’t make sense that people in positions of authority had done nothing. ”
The former NHL vindicator, who played in Minnesota, Tampa, Vancouver, Montreal, Carolina, Washington, but also Chicago, is delighted to see hockey culture slowly changing.
“It was the law of silence. Beach’s story has been made public, but imagine how many other things have been swept under the rug. Today, at least, with the way young people are raised and awareness of mental health, the physical and psychological abuse is making these stories come out, even ten years later. ”
He hopes the Blackhawks’ lesson will change mentalities for good.
This is the example of an organization’s control over its staff. It goes all the way down. The fear of being kicked out, of being the black sheep, forces you into silence.
Enrico Ciccone
“At some point in a group, you tell yourself there’s going to be at least one who’s going to raise their hand to say we can’t let this go. They are all responsible directly and indirectly. They didn’t say this guy was a predator. This is what is appalling.
“We’re talking about the Blackhawks, but there are several teams like that. To hear more that the players, the following year, gave him cracks, that bothers me. ”
Voltaren at will
A week before, another hard-hitting case, former hockey player Colin Wilson admitted on the Player’s Tribune site his addiction to drugs and opioids. Its release followed by a few weeks the denunciations of the keeper Robin Lehner in this chapter.
“I’m glad Colin Wilson spoke, that the guys are saying it publicly. Again, it took him a second text before he felt good and said it. But he had a lot of weight on his shoulders and he was in healing mode. ”
Ciccone denounces the lack of supervision and rigor in the distribution of drugs within the teams.
“It troubled me, what Lehner said about the pills. I haven’t been there for 20 years and I was wondering if they had fixed the problem. How many times have we been given medication by the healers?
“I had Voltaren at will when I was playing. These anti-inflammatory drugs must however be prescribed by a doctor. The trainers have lots of jars in the locker room. But they are not doctors. When you see the healers walking down the aisle of the plane offering you sleeping pills and anti-inflammatories… come on, he’s the healer! ”
Our man is stunned by the lack of control in the distribution of drugs within the NHL compared to his day to day life.
“When you go to the doctor and he prescribes something for you, he asks you a series of health questions, if you have high blood pressure, if you take other medications, etc. It continues when you go to get your medication from the pharmacist. He’s going to check your background too.
” I broke my leg [cette année], continues Ciccone. I was given anti-inflammatories and three days ago stepped in with a strong back. I’m going to see the doctor, he gives me a prescription.
“Then at the pharmacy, the counter attendant said to me: ‘Mr. Ciccone, do you still have Dilaudid at home?’ I said I had three or four left for my foot. He deducted them from the prescription. He verifies ! ”
The solution ? “It is first and foremost for organizations to see there with his doctors and his trainers, answers the former hockey player turned politician. Then the League must have clear criteria. They should not be above the codes of the profession. “
Normally, a healer cannot give medicine.
Enrico Ciccone
On a completely different note, the member for Marquette is happy to see that young people can practice their sport again after a year and a half of a pandemic. He has been to the front lines daily to demand alternative scenarios for young people during this difficult time.
“I’m glad they can finally play sports, but a huge damage has already been done. It pains me because we raised a red flag at the start of confinement. We had warned of the risks of mental health problems and dropping out of school. How many times have I said it?
“Pediatricians have said it too. Collective health will always come before individual freedoms, I understand that, but what are the solutions to avoid dropping out of school, addiction to drugs, video games, food problems among young girls? We offered nothing, and today, we lost a gang cristie. It breaks my heart. Sport was a way to keep it in school. There was a lot of collateral damage. ”