London, Ont. lawyer at centre of Hockey Canada scandal says toxic culture starts in local rinks

The London, Ont. lawyer, whose client's sexual assault allegations against junior hockey players kick-started a reckoning around the national organization that represents the sport, wants Canadians to consider their own views around hockey.

Rob Talach's client's lawsuit sought a $3.5-million out-of-court settlement after alleging that eight players, including members of Canada's world junior team, sexually assaulted, humiliated and degraded her at a hotel room in London in 2018.

Since then, a parliamentary committee has found Hockey Canada has paid $8.9 million to 21 complainants since 1989.

This past week, corporate sponsors including Nike, Chevrolet Canada, Scotiabank and Canadian Tire suspended their support for Hockey Canada, and multiple provincial organizations announced they would withhold players' fees from the organization. 

Talach, who has been watching events unfold since his client's case was made public in April, said he hopes Hockey Canada will reform but said shifting hockey culture lies with parents, players and fans. 

"The buck doesn't stop with Hockey Canada. I think people are really upset here because there's a lot of soul searching and looking in the mirror. If there's a stink about hockey in Canada, it starts at your local arena," said Talach.

"It starts at how you view players and how players act. It is not totally the responsibility of a board of old men. It is how we all treat hockey players and how they act. There's a huge problem there."

Talach points out that hockey players are treated like stars, when their role is to provide entertainment. 

"They're grossly overpaid and over worshipped and this may be the reckoning moment to say, 'why do we do that?'," said Talach. "Without the worship, they aren't allowed to do this, and they wouldn't be able to get away with this."

Hockey Canada had hired retired Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell this summer to conduct a governance review. Friday, CBC News learned that the board of directors has postponed elections for one month. The organization has also renewed its liability insurance for executives with a $1.9M annual premium

"From my vantage point, it seems quite clear to me that Hockey Canada has received and taken the advice that they can simply weather this storm. There doesn't seem to be any effort to change the direction of the ship substantially, they're just going to batten down the hatches and ride it out," said Talach.

Talach says he has little faith in the organization for the short-term.

"It's going to take a lot, and it's going to take time, and it's going to take a culture shift to get rid of that. I don't think Hockey Canada is anywhere near taking any of those steps yet."