Greyhounds assistant joins Canada's national under-17 coaching staff
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'I'm very honoured,' Taylor told The Sault Star. 'Anytime you get to work for your national team and be selected by the national team is a big thing and a big honour, and I'm really happy I could represent the Soo Greyhounds with Hockey Canada.'
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Joining Taylor will be the Prince Albert Raiders' Ryan McDonald as the head coach of Canada Red.
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The Drummondville Voltigeurs' Mathieu Gravel will also serve as an assistant coach, with the Saskatoon Blades' Jeff Harvey serving as a goaltending consultant and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens' Enrick Corneau operating as video coach.
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Taylor has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Greyhounds. Before landing in the Soo, Taylor spent six seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads as an assistant coach after serving as the video coach in 2016-17.
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He said he's looking forward to the unique experience of coaching 16-year-old CHL rookies, who will only have about six weeks of major junior experience when they hit the ice together in Nova Scotia in November.
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'It's really cool to be working with the very best at their age group across the country, and I think for myself it will be a great learning experience,' said Taylor, who received the news two weeks ago.
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The former OHLer also said the appointment is 'a big step for me on my path to becoming a head coach in the league.'
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John Dean extension: 'Well deserved'
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Greyhounds head coach John Dean received a two-year contract extension last week, extending through the 2026-27 OHL season.
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Dean has compiled a 206-155-29-14 record through six seasons behind the Soo bench, advancing to the second round of the post-season three times in four playoff appearances.
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However, last season was a down year, with the team finishing well below .500 and bowing out in the first round to the Windsor Spitfires. Although the team enjoyed a successful 2023-24 campaign with a 45-18-5 record, the 2022-23 season was somewhat forgettable with the team missing the playoffs entirely.
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CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Calls for hockey culture change continue after sexual assault trial
A Hockey Canada logo is shown on the jersey of a player with Canada's National Junior Team during a training camp practice in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh The spotlight on Canadian hockey culture dimming with the acquittal of five players of sexual assault charges is potentially part of the fallout from Thursday's verdict. Hockey Canada vowed in 2022 to tackle 'the toxic behaviour that exists in many corners of the game.' At that time, the organization was under fire for its handling of sexual assault allegations against members of the 2018 Canadian junior men's hockey team, and for using a portion of registration fees to settle lawsuits. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote were acquitted of all charges Thursday in courtroom in London, Ont. Four of the five were NHL players when they were arrested in 2024. The case had sent shock waves across Canadian hockey and reached the House of Commons, where members of Parliament grilled Hockey Canada executives on what they knew and did. Does all the talk of changing hockey culture get walked back with the judge's decision Thursday? 'The concern is that the community will see this decision, and they'll say hockey culture doesn't need to change, because these guys did nothing wrong,' said Greg Gilhooly, a lawyer and survivor of sexual abuse by hockey coach Graham James. 'The legal system doesn't address something more fundamental, and that's what should the guys have done in that room. If there's one thing that is undeniable, it's that in that room that night, there was an absence of leadership. There was an absence of character. Nobody said at any time, 'I don't care what she's saying, this is wrong. We need to be better than this. Stop.' 'Does a failure of character mean that someone should go to jail? It does not. The hope that I have is that coming out of this, hockey, and society at large, will realize that you need to think about your actions and avoid putting yourselves in situations like this and act with character, not act as the situation allows you to act. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, Ont., Wednesd... A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, Ont., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne When TSN reported the allegations and a civil settlement stemming from them in 2022, Hockey Canada's feet were held to the fire not only because players were at its gala on the night in question to celebrate the team's win in the 2018 world junior championship. The revelations lifted the lid on other hockey issues such as racism, hazing, discrimination and homophobia. Sponsors left Hockey Canada in the aftermath, but some have since returned. Scott Smith resigned as president and chief executive officer and was eventually replaced in 2023 by Katherine Henderson. Hockey Canada published a slate of reforms in 2022, including mandatory training for athletes and staff on sexual violence and consent. The organization held a 2023 summit in Calgary to address toxic masculinity in hockey, and another in Ottawa in 2024 analyzing unhealthy outcomes in hockey. 'The problem absolutely will be that coming out of this decision, there will be a reaction saying that 'Hockey Canada had it right all along, the board shouldn't have stepped down, these guys did nothing wrong,'' Gilhooly said. 'That's not what this decision says. This decision says those boys are not guilty of the crimes they've been charged. That's it. All of the good change that is taking place within the sporting community and society at large is good and it is needed and it needs to be emphasized and the change needs to continue. 'Absolutely, there will be a real fear now that that change won't be pressed forward as much as it should be.' Hockey Canada said Henderson wasn't available for an interview Thursday, and offered a list of changes and reforms enacted from its action plan. 'While important progress has been made since 2022, there is still more work to be done and we will continue to be transparent and accountable to Canadians as we drive systemic change within our National Winter Sport,' it said in a statement. The author of 'Crossing The Line; Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada's National Sport' was at the courthouse in London. Laura Robinson's 1998 book examined sexual assault and hazing in junior hockey culture. 'I don't think much has changed,' she said. Robinson points out that while men are involved in decision making around women's national teams, the coaches and managers Hockey Canada assigns to the men's under-20 teams are exclusively male and from junior men's leagues. 'If Hockey Canada really wanted to really change things, you need to have a change in leadership everywhere,' Robinson said. 'Is there no woman in Canada who could coach or be on the coaching staff at Hockey Canada for the world juniors or at the Olympics? 'I'm sure they're going to have women with the women's team, but it's the guys that need to change. We don't have this happening with female athletes.' Hockey Canada Hockey Canada A 2022 open letter to Canada's sports minister and a parliamentary committee signed by 28 sport academics from 21 universities stated 'sexual violence and misogyny are deeply rooted problems in men's ice hockey.' Thursday's decision didn't alter Toronto Metropolitan University associate professor Laurel Walzak's belief that culture change is needed in hockey. 'I'm still really concerned as I was in 2022, probably the same concern,' she said. 'I signed the letter as a very concerned person related to hockey in Canada. 'I go back to this letter and I feel like another letter needs to be written. We can copy and paste it, actually. 'We need to continue to keep a really close eye on Hockey Canada from a national level, provincial level, local level, all the levels and questioning what's happening. We cannot forget the amount of money that Hockey Canada had in its power to be able to hide and keep things secret.' An advocacy group for abuse survivors in sport stated Thursday's legal decision 'risks reinforcing the very culture of silence and impunity that survivors of sexual violence in sport have long fought to dismantle.' 'We are concerned this verdict will have a chilling effect,' said Athletes Empowered managing director and former gymnast Amelia Cline in a statement. 'Survivors watching this case unfold may now feel even more reluctant to speak up, fearing that their pain will be minimized, their experiences invalidated, and justice nearly impossible to achieve.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025 Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Opinion: Hockey Canada sexual assault trial latest story spotlighting dark side of sport
Opinion Countless times throughout the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, the question has come up: is this a story for the sports section at the Free Press? The resounding answer is: yes. Yes, this is a sports story. I am not writing to offer my opinion on the decisions made today. I am here to remind readers that the world of sports is not always a fun, fantasy world. Sports are a fantastic way for fans, including me, to escape hard times — but a shadow hides behind the blinding, refracted light of historic goals and legendary names. This trial shone a spotlight on the ugliness of that shadow. The fact that people are high-fiving over the five men involved in this case being acquitted is absolutely disgusting. Whether or not you believe the five men are guilty, a woman was traumatized. So much so that, as the Toronto Star reported, E.M. thought she would be able to testify in person in the courtroom, but when she was taking a tour of the courthouse and sat in the witness stand, she started crying. She was so traumatized by what happened to her that night in a London, Ont., hotel room that she had to testify via video from another room in the courthouse, and the defendants were blurred on her end. What those cheering the acquittals seem to quickly forget is that trauma and abuse in sports isn't just a woman's story — it's a part of sports culture that has thrived in the shadows for far too long. This case just so happened to involve a woman. This is also a man's story. Whether Winnipeg Jets fans want to admit it or not, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was previously involved with a franchise that saw Kyle Beach identify himself as a player at the centre of sexual abuse allegations. A second former player also sued the Chicago Blackhawks. Hometown favourite Jonathan Toews was also part of that franchise at the time these abuses took place. I am by no means saying either Cheveldayoff or Toews were involved or knew of the abuse. The point of including this is as a reminder that abuse is happening to athletes themselves in top leagues. This is not just a minor league issue. This is not just a women's issue. This is a high-profile issue that continues to get swept under the rug whenever the defendants are deemed not guilty, whether in the court of law or the court of public opinion. If one of these players is signed by an NHL team, we will have to cover them in the Free Press sports section in a way where it appears as though this story never existed. Just as we have had to cover Alex Ovechkin, regardless of his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. You can add as many disclaimers and explainers as you want; these are still stories emphasizing the 'greatness' of these athletes. Abuse is rampant in professional sports, and I'm tired of it being so often left out of the larger story of sports. We can celebrate the accomplishments of athleticism while at the same time acknowledging it's a system built on abuse that tries to shelter perpetrators instead of helping victims of abuse. The story of 'ruining his career' is so often presented in cases like the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. But what about the responsibility of the five hockey players to not ruin their respective careers by participating that night? It's just a question. Moreover, the case was so toxic to Hockey Canada before it went to court, the organization had already settled out of court, wanting the story to go away — to be swept under the rug and into the ugly shadows. If I may offer one opinion, it is that I fear these acquittals will dissuade future victims of sexual assault from reporting abuse. We're at a point in society where women have to be believed more than ever while navigating a justice system built to cast doubt on testimony. Whether you believe E.M. or not, I ask that you consider how you would feel if you weren't believed. I hope there's a day when the story of sports doesn't include abuse of any kind. Thursday, however, punctuated and perpetuated the 'boys will be boys' culture ingrained in sports at the expense of another person's trauma. Maybe this trial will help forward ongoing conversations about consent and, if anything, remind sports fans of the dark, toxic side of these stories of heroes and history books. Grace Anne Paizen is the Free Press Sports editor Grace Anne PaizenSports Editor Grace oversees the team that produces sports journalism for the Free Press. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Canada News.Net
9 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Hockey Canada sex assault verdict: Sports culture should have also been on trial
Share article Print article The verdict is in on the sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team - all five have been acquitted. Each player was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room. Today, Justice Maria Carroccia stated that the Crown did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial has captured the world's attention and sparked polarized public debates about consent, hockey culture and the role of sport in socializing young men. Elite athletes often operate within environments where their talent grants them special status and access to resources - monetary and otherwise - that bolster a sense of entitlement. In some instances, sport organizations exacerbate this sentiment by protecting their star performers instead of addressing misconduct, which was reflected in this case. For example, an abusive national vaulting coach for New Zealand Athletics was finally banned for 10 years, but only after years of unchecked abuse of his female athletes, including "inappropriate sexual references." This highlights how misconduct can go on unrestrained for so long. As researchers with expertise in sport culture and sexual and gender-based violence, we're reflecting on what the Hockey Canada trial reveals about the institutional and cultural practices within sport. The formal and informal rules of men's sport validate misogyny and reinforce systemic patterns of sexual entitlement and inadequate accountability. We offer some perspectives on how these troubling patterns of violence in sport can be reformed. The Hockey Canada sexual assault trial has become a focal point for questioning how elite sporting environments shield athletes from accountability. This may be especially true in hockey. In their book about toxic hockey culture, authors Evan Moore and Jashmina Shaw argue that hockey operates within "a bubble composed mostly of boys and men who are white, cis-het, straight and upper-class. And those who play often become coaches and teach the same values to the next generation." This closely knit community thrives on conformity and creates conditions that are ripe for the pervasive misogyny against women and systemic silence around issues of consent. The book _Skating on Thin Ice: Professional Hockey, Rape Culture and Violence against Women _, written by criminal justice scholars and sports reporters, demonstrates how endemic sexism, heavy alcohol use, abusive peers and the sexual objectification of women are buttressed by broader social factors. These factor uphold and reproduce toxic hockey culture, including patriarchal beliefs. Male-dominated sporting cultures also emphasize a particular type of masculinity that focuses on dominance, physical intimidation and winning at all costs. This can blur the boundaries between acceptable competitive behaviour and problematic aggression. Within the realm of professional sport, athletes also become commodified and objectified through media coverage, sponsorship deals and public scrutiny. This commodification can contribute to a culture where athletes may internalize the idea that their bodies are public property, further eroding their sense of autonomy and understanding of consent, especially in relation to others beyond the sport context. Questioning or circumventing institutionally sanctioned behaviours is not easy, and it's well-documented that many elite athletes struggle with mental health issues including depression, anxiety and substance misuse resulting from the pressure to align with the dominant culture. But what often gets forgotten is how the hyper-masculine culture of sports creates significant barriers to seeking help. Young male athletes are socialized to comply with peer cultures that equate vulnerability with weakness. Yet they face intense pressures around family expectations, sponsorship deals and team success that demands they maintain appearances of strength and control. This cycle of suppressed vulnerability and untreated distress enables toxic sporting masculinity to flourish, forcing organizations like Hockey Canada to confront their role in perpetuating these harmful dynamics. Sports organizations have significant financial and reputational investment in athletes. This can create an inherent conflict when misconducts arise, problematically prompting sports organizations to use their power and resources to prioritize damage control over justice. We saw this in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, where each hockey player had his own legal counsel, a stark illustration of institutional power and the extent to which sports organizations will go to shield their members from accountability. The deeply entrenched networks within sport prioritize self-preservation over addressing misconduct Effectively responding to these issues requires addressing the systemic factors that perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence in sport. The sport ecosystem in Canada needs radical change, including who trains and mentors young men in hockey and how organizations investigate complaints. It requires going beyond individual accountability, participating in consent workshops or issuing policy documents. These actions alone are insufficient to shift the cultural needle. In 2022, Hockey Canada released a comprehensive action plan to address systemic issues in hockey that features discussions of accountability, governance, education and training and independent sport safety structures. Community organizations like the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres also issued a series of recommendations in 2022 that remain germane: In addition to these excellent suggestions, Hockey Canada and other allied hockey organizations must be willing to restructure the current hierarchical structure of power that governs not just hockey, but also the players and all the other agencies involved, including coaches, sponsors, trainers, legal teams, media and PR representatives. These organizational changes are possible, as evidenced by the efforts of Bayne Pettinger, an agent who has led efforts to create space for queer hockey players in Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League. However, the cultural norms of power in sport extend beyond the playing field to shape attitudes toward consent and sexual conduct. Until sport organizations address the foundational cultural elements that enable misconduct - toxic masculinity, institutional protection and erosion of consent culture - meaningful change will remain elusive. Within hockey environments, in particular, the objectification of women and the institutional silence surrounding sexual violence have become normalized aspects of the sport's culture, creating conditions where misconduct can flourish unchecked. The events examined in this most recent trial are not isolated incidents but symptoms of deeper systemic failures within elite sport. Only through comprehensive cultural transformation can we ensure that sport environments are spaces of genuine safety, respect and accountability for all participants.
