Graham James was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in federal prison in 1997 after he pleaded guilty to assaulting former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy and another unnamed player about 350 times over 10 years.
James was given a pardon in 2007, The Canadian Press reported on Sunday. Here is a timeline of the important dates in the career of Graham James:
Born: Feb. 7, 1952 in P.E.I.
1970: Quits hockey as a player due to bouts of asthma. Mid-1970s – Graduates from university; works as substitute teacher; begins coaching career.
1979-83: Coaches junior A hockey, winning the Manitoba provincial title with the Fort Garry Blues.
1983-84: Named head scout of the WHL’s Winnipeg Warriors. Recruits both Theoren Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy.
1984: Hired as head coach of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
1986: Hired as head coach and GM of WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. He acquires Kennedy in a trade.
1986-94: Eight-year stint with Broncos nets a pair of WHL titles in 1989 and 1993 and a Memorial Cup.
1994: Joins Calgary Hitmen as part-owner, GM and head coach.
Nov. 22, 1996: Calgary police charge James with two counts of sexual assault involving hundreds of incidents against two of his former players over a span of 10 years.
Jan. 2, 1997: Pleads guilty to sexual assault. Sentenced to three and a half years in prison. The Canadian Hockey Association imposes a lifetime ban on coaching.
2001-03: In spite of the ban, he coaches several teams in Spain, including the national team.
2003: A civil lawsuit against James is settled out of court. The suit, filed in 1999 by an anonymous victim of James’s sexual abuse and his parents, named as defendants the Canadian Hockey Association, the Western Hockey League and various other hockey organizations and individuals, in addition to James.
2009: Fleury alleges James sexually molested him from the age of 14.
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