Players from 2003 World Juniors hockey team deny knowledge of alleged sex assault - The Globe and Mail

A puck sits on the ice before a faceoff as the Czech Republic and Switzerland play a world junior hockey championship game in Vancouver on December 26, 2018.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

Three retired NHL players who were part of Canada’s 2003 world junior hockey lineup say they were unaware of an alleged group sex assault involving members of that year’s team.

Jordin Tootoo, Carlo Colaiacovo and P.A. Parenteau said in Twitter posts on Friday and Saturday that they had not heard of the incident before the allegation surfaced in a TSN report on Friday. The assault is alleged to have taken place in Halifax, which was co-hosting the world junior hockey championship that year. The city’s police have opened an investigation.

This is the latest in a series of revelations about the culture of hockey and its national governing body, Hockey Canada. Police in London, Ont., recently reopened an investigation into a different sexual assault, allegedly committed in 2018 by Canadian Hockey League players, including members of that year’s world junior team.

Hockey Canada said Friday it contacted Halifax Regional Police after recently learning of the 2003 allegations, and added that it will co-operate with authorities as they investigate.

TSN reported on Friday that, according to its sources, video footage from 2003 shows about six players taking turns having sex with a woman who was unresponsive and lying face up on a pool table. TSN did not view the footage, but cited three sources who described it. The Globe and Mail has not independently verified the existence of the footage or any details related to it.

Jordin Tootoo of the Brandon Wheat Kings poses for a photo following an afternoon practice at the Keystone Centre on December 9, 2002.Bruce Bumstead

Mr. Tootoo, a former Chicago Blackhawks player, wrote a memoir called All the Way: My Life on Ice. It references the 2003 team’s sexual behaviour at one point.

“We were horny young men. We were in Halifax and we had every ... girl hitting on us. What are you going to do? Let’s start slaying these broads. And it wasn’t just one-on-one action. A few of the guys would get a couple of girls after practice and head into one of the rooms. Enough said.”

In his Twitter post on Saturday, Mr. Tootoo said his book deals with topics such as his “journey with alcohol addiction.”

“If I am being totally honest with you, I don’t recall knowing or hearing about the incident in question during or after the tournament,” Mr. Tootoo said in the post.

“I was shocked when I heard about it in the media and will co-operate fully with any investigation.”

Mr. Colaiacovo, who now co-hosts a TSN hockey radio show, said in his Twitter statement that he was saddened to hear of the allegations about his team.

“As a member of that team, it is important that everyone is aware that I had no involvement or knowledge of any incidents whatsoever. I will fully co-operate with any investigations,” he said.

Mr. Parenteau shared Mr. Colaiacovo’s post and echoed the sentiment.

“I will co-operate and was not involved in that [incident],” he said.

The world’s governing body for hockey, the Switzerland-based International Ice Hockey Foundation, has requested that Hockey Canada turn over additional information about the 2018 sexual abuse complaint. The IIHF has also asked for details of how the complaint was addressed by the organization.

In May, Hockey Canada quietly settled a lawsuit related to the 2018 allegation. The complainant was a woman who alleged she had been assaulted in a hotel room in London, Ont. by eight Canadian Hockey League players.

IIHF communications manager Adam Steiss told The Globe the governing body had learned of the settlement in May.

“At this time the IIHF has not initiated an investigation into Hockey Canada’s actions,” Mr. Steiss said in a statement. “Nevertheless, this is a deeply troubling incident that the IIHF takes extremely seriously.”

The World Junior Championship tournament is held annually. It usually begins on Boxing Day and lasts into the first week of January. The 2021-2022 event was postponed when players on several teams tested positive for COVID-19. It is scheduled to be held in Edmonton next month. The 2022-23 event will begin on Boxing Day and will be held in Halifax.

Hockey Canada is supposed to be the host of both events. The IIHF did not respond to a question on Saturday about whether it would consider removing the organization from that role.

The IIHF has conducted integrity workshops at the World Junior Championship since 2018. Mr. Steiss said it will continue to do so. It has its own abuse and harassment code and wants reassurance that Hockey Canada has abided by it.

“The IIHF continues to monitor Hockey Canada’s actions to ensure that it is acting in accordance with the abuse and harassment code and will take all appropriate steps in line when and if necessary,” Mr. Steiss said.

In her lawsuit, the complainant in the 2018 case sought $3.55-million in damages. It is unknown how much she received, because she signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of the settlement. Her claims have not been tested in court.

A number of players from the 2018 world junior team have issued denials, or said they were not part of any wrongdoing. In court documents, the woman said she was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and that she was coerced and held against her will.

According to a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court, she had sex with one player and then others entered the room and joined in. Some players brought golf clubs to the room and that scared her, she said. At one point, according to the claim, the players took a video in which she was directed to say she was sober and that the acts were consensual. Afterward, she said, she was told to take a shower.

Public outcry has surrounded the case since the lawsuit was settled in May. Officials from Hockey Canada have been called to testify before Parliament, and major sponsors have temporarily pulled their support for the organization. Swiss Chalet and The Keg are the latest on a long list that also includes Canadian Tire, Scotiabank, Telus and Tim Hortons.

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2022-07-23 19:57:18Z
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