As Western Hockey League players prepare for the start of the 2022-23 season, the league is aiming to make the game safer in all aspects for those around the rink.
The WHL has tabbed Saskatoon Police Service superintendent Patrick Nogier to chair a new, third-party committee focused on reporting abuse and harassment.
New to the league, the WHL Player Advisory Council will give players and staff the chance to report incidents of bullying, hazing, or more criminal matters to an independent panel.
“I think this is just an opportunity to give back,” said Nogier. “Fortunately for me, I’ve had a very good career with the Saskatoon City Police Service and I’ve been able to draw from experiences that I can bring to the forefront here when trying to determine whether or not something needs to be evaluated.”
Nogier brings close to 30 years of policing expertise in criminal investigation into to the role and is a former WHL’er himself, playing in 71 games between 1985 and 1987 with the Kamloops Blazers and Swift Current Broncos.
His ties to the league also stretch to his son Nelson, who skated in 235 WHL games from 2012 through 2016 and was a fourth round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in 2014.
It’s a combination of skill sets that caught the eye of WHL commissioner Ron Robison.
“We were looking for someone ideally with that type of background, particularly with the expertise in investigations and with law enforcement,” said Robison. “He’ll be complimented by two other alumni who will have legal, police and law enforcement backgrounds as well.”
Joining Nogier on the council will be fellow WHL graduates Paul Kurceba and Paul Gentile, who will review all complaints filed through the committee.
Providing a safe space for players, coaches and volunteers alike to compete and work will be the council’s top priority according to Nogier.
“We’re starting to set up mechanisms that will allow individuals to come to the rink, come to their billets, come to any organized function that a team is putting on in a safe environment, free of any type of harrassment or intimidation,” he said.
Hockey Canada’s ongoing sexual assault scandals involving the 2018 and 2003 World Juniors teams have brought to light many issues rooted within the sport, sparking conversations among Canadians from coast to coast around hockey culture.
For Nogier, it’s clear that now is the time to take meaningful action.
“With everything that Hockey Canada has gone through, I really do think this is not a knee-jerk reaction on behalf of the WHL,” he said. “This is an opportunity that they took to ensure that they’re doing the right things at the right time.”
If a complaint is deemed to be a criminal matter, the Player Advisory Council will be tasked with contacting local police and will require those teams or parties involved to comply with the investigations.
“If I can give back in some small piece of the equation, whether that’s actually offering advice to an individual that’s experiencing some tough times or whether that’s taking the next step to ensure that people are not involved in our sport that are doing wrong, I think those people need to stand up and they need to take the opportunity to do what they can when they can,” said Nogier.
According to the WHL, all players and team staff are required to sign a WHL Standard of Conduct Acknowledgement Form which outlines the league protocols and penalties for violations of those protocols.
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