As the allegations against Hockey Canada’s World Junior championship teams continue to make headlines, one sexual assault survivor says it’s time for the sport’s culture to change once and for all.
Lawyer Greg Gilhooly is a survivor of disgraced Winnipeg minor hockey coach and convicted sex offender Graham James. He told 680 CJOB’s The Start that hockey fans often celebrate the on-ice success of sexual assault perpetrators without knowing about their crimes.
“These things are just part of the culture, you know?
“If you’re a ‘good guy’ and you stick around and you help the game, all sins are forgiven,” Gilhooly said. “And that’s got to stop.”
News broke in May about sexual assault allegations involving eight unidentified players in 2018 — including members of that year’s World Junior team.
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The sport’s national governing body has been under even more intense scrutiny since similar allegations involving unnamed members of the 2003 junior team.
Some veterans of the silver-medal winning 2003 team, including Churchill, Man.-born Jordin Tootoo, have said they were shocked to hear some of their teammates were alleged to have been involved in a sexual assault.
“I don’t recall knowing or hearing about the incident in question during or after the tournament,” Tootoo said in a statement posted to social media Saturday.
“I was shocked when I heard about it in the media and will cooperate fully with any investigation.”
The scandal has reached the highest echelons of Canadian society, with members of Parliament and even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighing in on the situation. Hockey Canada has had its funding paused due to the 2018 allegations.
Gilhooly said he’s, unfortunately, not surprised when allegations like these surface.
“I’m always surprised when I hear the specific facts and I hear the specific teams,” he said. “In concept, I’m not surprised at all, because hockey has a real hockey culture problem.”
Gilhooly said there’s no need to wait for the results of a lengthy investigation for the sport to make a culture change — one he says begins when the sport stops celebrating people who perpetrated this type of behaviour.
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