The removal of a parent from minor hockey in Saint-Jérôme, announced last week, raises eyebrows at Hockey Quebec, which sees several irregularities and says it is unable to carry out certain checks.
“A parent with a heavy disciplinary record removed from minor hockey in Saint-Jérôme,” Radio-Canada reported last week.
We learned that the parent who was the subject of this extremely rare six-year procedure had used “repeated abusive and insulting language towards referees, volunteers, as well as players and parents”.
That parent is Caroline Byrne. Mother of a teenager playing for the Lions of Saint-Jérôme, she says she is the victim of an injustice.
The newspaper learned that Hockey Quebec is far from convinced that the decision taken by the Federation of Minor Hockey Clubs of Saint-Jérôme (FHMSJ) respects its regulations.
“As we receive information, we have questions,” said Dave Leclerc, director of Hockey Quebec.
“That’s why we asked to receive the file [disciplinaire du parent]but we were refused access, ”he reveals, which is abnormal in his opinion.
However, the FHMSJ is accountable to Hockey Quebec. “Associations cannot decide to do what they want,” says Mr. Leclerc.
A dubious summons
Hockey Quebec is as much concerned about the process of convoking Mrs. Byrne to the FHMSJ as about the validity of the radiation.
The newspaper had access to an audio recording of Ms. Byrne’s summons by the FHMSJ, which took place on February 15. Ms. Byrne was never able to give her version of the facts, despite her requests.
“It is certain that it does not respect what must be done according to our disciplinary measures”, reacted Dave Leclerc.
Access to arenas
In the subsequent decision, we can read that Ms. Byrne “can no longer have access to arenas on the territory of the FHMSJ”. For Dave Leclerc, only a court order could impose this restriction.
Martin Labrosse, president of the FHMSJ, believes that Hockey Quebec is “interfering” in its organization, and only agrees to show them the disciplinary file during a meeting in person.
“I don’t want to send him like that. I don’t know what their goal is. “He defends tooth and nail the decision to write off Ms. Byrne. “We are volunteers, we are not specialists in law or hearings. If we made a mistake somewhere, no problem, but the decision would have been the same. »
The banished mother wants to appeal her case
The mother of a young hockey player from Saint-Jérôme, banned from the arenas of her city, intends to appeal the decision to Hockey Quebec, believing that she is the victim of an “injustice” and a conflict that has degenerated.
“At the moment, I have no idea why I was deregistered, summarizes Caroline Byrne. There is an injustice, it is sure and it is certain. »
According to his version of the facts, everything goes back to an event that occurred during a tournament in Plessisville, in early February.
In the locker room, his 13-year-old son would have been insulted by his coach in front of his teammates. “My youngster said [dans le vestiaire] that his teammates weren’t worth shit. The coach [n’a pas apprécié] and yelled at him like rotten fish. He walked out of there crying. »
It degenerates at the hotel
She would then have texted the coach to discuss this situation, but it was only later at the hotel, where the team met, that he decided to discuss it with her, says Mrs. Byrne.
“I asked him why he yelled at my guy. He said to me: ”I am the coach, I do what I want”. »
The conflict would then have degenerated. The mother claims to have been threatened with death, but admits to having used physical violence herself.
While she acknowledges that she has been “imperfect” in the past and that she has her share of responsibility for the altercation at the hotel, Ms Byrne believes that the process to strike her out has been far from fair.
The decision also raises “several questions” in the eyes of Hockey Quebec.
Ms. Byrne believes that she was the victim of revenge on the part of Martin Labrosse, president of the FHMSJ, against whom she had filed a complaint for intimidation last November.
Mr. Labrosse had been cleared of all the allegations against him.
The only one summoned?
Joined by The newspaperMartin Labrosse refused to indicate whether other people were summoned by his board of directors to obtain testimony concerning the events at the hotel.
“We don’t have it [Mme Byrne] not kicked out for what happened on February 3 ”, but for all his disciplinary file, he argued.
As for his history with Ms. Byrne, Mr. Labrosse says he “understands the perception” of the disbarred mother as to an appearance of revenge, but refutes this allegation.