Manitoba

Independent panel paints damaging picture of abuse in Canadian junior hockey

Elite junior hockey in Canada has a systemic culture resulting in maltreatment becoming an "embedded norm" and that incidents of off-ice misconduct are rarely reported, owing, in part, to a "code of silence", an independent panel has found.

Troubling questions raised after CHL releases report more than a year after its completion

A closeup shows the skates of a hockey player handling a puck with a stick.
The CHL comprises three junior organizations, including the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. (PhotoStock10/Shutterstock)

Elite junior hockey in Canada has a systemic culture resulting in maltreatment becoming an "embedded norm" and that incidents of off-ice misconduct are rarely reported, owing, in part, to a "code of silence", an independent panel has found.

"…Off-ice misconduct does exist (in the Canadian Hockey League), and that the systemic culture in the League has enabled this to become a cultural norm," states a report, released late Friday. "Maltreatment that, outside of hockey, would not be acceptable, has become an embedded behaviour in this hierarchical organization and the level of acceptance is too high."

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