Former NHLer and child advocate calls for league to better support players reporting abuse
A former NHL player and sexual abuse survivor is calling on the NHL to do more and have more services available to players to report concerns about sexual abuse.
Sheldon Kennedy made the comments following the completion of an investigation into reports of sexual abuse by an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
The investigation found the situation was mishandled and the team was fined $2 million by the NHL and general manager and president of hockey operations, Stan Bowman, resigned from his position.
Kennedy thinks third-party programs need to be available for players and bystanders to speak freely about any concerns they have.
He said there is a player assistance program within the NHL to help players with a variety of issues, but he noted there is no third-party helpline that players can access that isn't part of the team.
"When we keep these types of issues and we keep the call centre or the helpline within the organizations, there is a reluctance for anybody to come forward because it is such a code of silence, if you may. We know the best results come when that safe place or that helpline is outside the organization."
Kennedy said he hopes the NHL and every team in the league can learn from this incident and that they will do everything they can to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
"This is a chance to get it right and learn from it and understand what was wrong, and how this happened, and how we are going to be better to make sure this doesn't happen for anybody else throughout the league," he said. "How are we going to educate every team? How are we going to create a safe place for every team, for the players, for anybody within the organization to be able to handle and deal with these issues upfront?"
Kennedy added the way this issue was dealt with back in 2010 is archaic and now, these situations cannot be swept under the rug and they need to be dealt with.
"We got to be upfront. I find this is not about being perfect. This is about being honest, being transparent, and doing everything that we can to be able to communicate our plan, be able to admit that we could have been better and we should have been better and we're going to do everything we can to be better."
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block to conduct what they called an independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise: one by a player identified as John Doe alleging sexual assault by then-assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 and another filed by a former student whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting in Michigan.
-With files from The Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.