The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League said it had launched an investigation into alleged cases of sexual assault committed among the Saguenéens of Chicoutimi in the 1990s.
In a report published Monday in The Pressformer player Carl Latulippe described his experience as a rookie player during the 1994-1995 season.
Latulippe gave a testimony about the violence of the veterans on the recruits of the team, beaten with bars of soap wrapped in towels so as not to leave marks. Veterans also allegedly asked recruits to strip and masturbate on the team bus as pornographic films played on screens, despite officials being present.
Another Saguenéens player, who was Latulippe’s teammate that season, corroborated his statements, but asked not to be identified in the article.
Latulippe, the Saguenéens’ first round pick in 1994, played six games with the team before returning home.
Acting QMJHL commissioner Martin Lavallée told a parliamentary committee on March 21 that allegations of sexual assault committed in the 1990s had been brought to his attention and the league had launched an investigation. The Press was able to specify that the league’s investigation is aimed at the 1994-1995 edition of the Saguenéens.
In a press release on Monday, the QMJHL said it was made aware of the allegations “a few days ago”, while recalling that it had opened an investigation to “shed light on these allegations”.
She did not comment on Latulippe’s story, but invited potential victims to speak up to denounce any problematic situations they may have suffered in their playing career in the QMJHL.