Penny Oleksiak accused of anti-doping violation, faces multi-year ban
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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
How Hockey Canada sexual assault case became a flashpoint for perceived toxic culture in junior hockey
If there was an apt metaphor to describe the Hockey Canada sexual assault case, it might be a tiny snowball suddenly pushed down a very steep, snowy mountain. Article content By the time it reached the bottom – culminating in Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia's verdicts in the case Thursday – the snowball had picked up so much speed and size, it ultimately became an avalanche of controversy and public outcry over the perceived toxic culture inside our national obsession. Article content Article content The much-publicized trial tried to get to the bottom of what happened inside the Delta Armouries hotel room between a now-27-year-old woman, her identity protected by court order, and a group of Team Canada world junior hockey players who were in London on June 18 and 19, 2018. Article content Article content The players were together for a Hockey Canada gala for the first time since they'd won gold medals in Buffalo months earlier. The woman, then 20, said she met accused Michael McLeod and other players at Jack's bar on Richmond Row and returned to the hotel with McLeod for consensual sex, before more men came into the room after a night of drinking. Article content The sordid details were widely reported and debated over the eight weeks of trial. Ever since McLeod, 27, Carter Hart, 26, Alex Formenton, 25, Dillon Dube, 26, and Cal Foote, 26, were charged in January 2023 – and when London police Chief Thai Truong apologized to 'the victim' for how long it had taken to reach that point – the case hasn't been as black-and-white as a referee's jersey. Article content Article content The key issue at trial was subjective consent, but the details of what happened in Room 209 are hazy. What went on was clearly offside, but just like in hockey, offside doesn't usually result in game misconducts. Article content How a closed, eight-month London police investigation by experienced officers in 2018 ended in no charges, only to be re-opened in 2022 with charges laid, could arguably be linked to the pressure put on a damaged Hockey Canada suddenly bombarded with bad publicity, abandonment by sponsors and a public shocked over allegations that amounted to gang rape in a civil statement of claim. Article content Some of that was hinted at in Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas's ruling during pre-trial motions late last year to exclude statements from the trial made to Hockey Canada by three of the accused players interviewed in 2022. Article content The Crown wanted to use the statements that had been obtained through a warrant to highlight inconsistencies. Thomas denied the request, saying the statements offended fair trial interests. Article content Revealed during the pre-trial motion and the trial was that despite the players being cleared by the police in early 2019, Hockey Canada chose to settle a $3.55-million civil suit launched against it, the Canadian Hockey League and eight 'John Does' by the woman in April 2022 a month later for an undisclosed amount, using a fund partially made up through registration fees set aside to handle sexual abuse claims – and without telling the players about it or giving them an opportunity to defend themselves. Article content The complainant admitted during her lengthy trial testimony that after the civil case was settled and once she proffered a statement drafted by her lawyers to Hockey Canada in 2022 – after avoiding them for three years – she thought 'this was done. I thought it was case closed.' Article content But by then, the allegations which were never proven in a civil court had been widely publicized and the public shock and anger picked up speed. A Parliamentary committee in July 2022 wanted some answers from the hockey organization. Hockey Canada said it would co-operate with the police. Article content Hockey Canada published an 'Open Letter to Canadians,' acknowledging they were 'angry and disappointed in Hockey Canada – rightfully so.' Article content Even though it had conducted its own independent investigation in 2018, the organization apologized, saying it had 'failed Canadians' and hadn't done enough to address what happened 'or to end the culture of toxic behaviour within our game.' Article content Hockey Canada changed its code of conduct and pledged to re-open its investigation, requiring all players to participate in the probe or face lifetime bans from Hockey Canada teams, Olympics, world championships, tournaments, games and coaching at all levels – even teams involving the players' future children. Article content The discussions were confidential, unless circumstances changed. Those who didn't cooperate would be 'named and shamed.' This had to have shaken the players, who had spent the bulk of their young lifetimes pursuing their professional hockey dreams. Article content Toronto lawyer Danielle Robitaille was the third-party who headed up the 2018 Hockey Canada investigation, which she was careful to keep separate from the police probe. She stood it down in July 2018 until the police investigation was over after talking to several players. Article content Her only compliance was to pass on now-retired London police Det. Stephen Newton's contact information should any of the players want to talk to him. McLeod, Formenton, Dube and Foote all made voluntary statements to Newton in the fall of 2018 before he closed the case in February 2019. Article content Once the case was closed, Robitaille only needed to speak to the complainant to complete her report. However, texts, emails and phone calls to the woman went unanswered and in September 2020, on the advice of Hockey Canada, she ended her investigation, Thomas noted in his decision. Article content Robitaille, who testified before the Parliamentary committee, was called on to complete her work in 2022. Thomas pointed out she had new 'marching orders' and a new 'tool' in the code of conduct that obligated the players to cooperate in any investigation related to any breach in Hockey Canada's policies. Article content The new rule bypassed the right for any player to have a hearing before any disciplinary action. 'Hockey Canada effectively imposed disciplinary measures without due process,' Thomas wrote in his decision. Article content The lawyers for the players cried foul about the mandatory Hockey Canada interviews, calling them compelled, involuntary and forced. Robitaille reminded them of the potential lifetime ban. Article content 'In her evidence (at the pre-trial motion), Ms. Robitaille agreed that 'naming and shaming' the applicants would associate them with the allegations of 'gang rape' that had surfaced and would have a devastating effect on their reputations and careers,' Thomas wrote in his decision, adding the public would see how Hockey Canada collected the statements as unfair if they were presented at the trial. Article content Meanwhile, the public began to speculate which players were involved. The London police re-opened the case later in July 2022 and Thomas noted that 'one of the fresh investigative avenues considered' was to get the Hockey Canada files through a court order. Article content The investigating officer later testified at the trial that the complainant 'was actually quite upset' when the police told her they were reviving the investigation, and surmised that it was 'opening some wounds she was trying to close.' Article content Article content Then, in early August 2022, a Hockey Canada lawyer indicated the organization would waive privilege and give their file to the police without the need of a production order. Robitaille was upset with Hockey Canada's position. The police declined the offer and told Robitaille and Hockey Canada that 'they now had reasonable and probable grounds to believe that several players had committed sexual assault' and would seek the court order. Article content 'Ms. Robitaille did not disclose this fact to the defendants before interviewing them,' Thomas wrote. Article content It was clear by the fall of 2022 that the suspect players weren't giving statements to the police. But Robitaille interviewed the players anyway, knowing it was likely the police would succeed in obtaining her file, Thomas wrote. Article content Robitaille was under pressure because the investigation had taken time away from her law practice. She agreed that the interviews be done with lawyers present and only handwritten notes taken, which Thomas said 'would likely be vague, incomplete and open to conjecture.' Article content Thomas rejected a Crown application to have Robitaille made a 'person of authority' for purposes of the trial. He also rejected the defence assertion that her investigation was aimed at assisting the police. Article content On Oct. 21, 2022, Superior Court Justice Michael Carnegie issued a production order for the Hockey Canada investigative file. By then, Robitaille had interviewed McLeod, Formenton and Dube. Her investigative file was passed on to the police on Nov. 17, 2022. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
3 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
‘Full-circle moment': Sault's Domenic Nicoletta brings Italian heritage to Olympic stage
Article content When Domenic Nicoletta boards a plane for Milan in February 2026, he won't just be heading to his first Olympic Winter Games as an athletic therapist with Team Canada. He'll be returning to the country his parents once left behind — this time, as part of hockey's most prestigious delegation. Article content 'It's a little bit of a dream,' said Nicoletta, the longtime Ottawa Senators athletic therapist. 'I couldn't have asked for a better location, or an almost full-circle moment.' Article content Article content Though the Olympics will be hosted in northern Italy, Nicoletta's roots are further south in Calabria, where both his parents were born before immigrating to Canada. His father, John, found work at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, where he later met his wife, Marie, who worked as a school administrator. Article content Article content Between his commitments with the Senators, Nicoletta still tries to make it back to the Sault at least once a year, and there's always one stop he never misses to 'compare notes.' Article content 'I try to make it back at least once a year to check on my dad's garden,' he said, laughing. 'To me, it's a peace of mind,' said John. 'I go there and relax.' Article content That sense of connection — to land, to tradition, to family — will travel with Nicoletta to Italy in the winter. The Olympics represent more than a career milestone, he said. They're a rare opportunity to share his heritage with his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Luca, 15, and Ella, 12. Article content Article content 'It's a great moment for me,' he said. 'My daughter's maybe the most excited, she's wanted me to take her to Italy here for a few years, so it worked out perfectly.' Article content Nicoletta has worked several world championships for Hockey Canada since 2019, and he's made the most of the chance to bring family along. In 2022, his children joined him in Finland, and two years later, his mother accompanied him at the 2024 World Championship in Prague. Article content 'One of the reasons I can never say no to (Hockey Canada) is because of how the family is treated,' he said. 'I can't wait to see their reactions again, and their interactions with the international fans, the cheering.' Article content Long before Nicoletta was standing on the Team Canada bench, his path began with human kinetics at the University of Ottawa. He grew up playing soccer, but it wasn't until a guest lecture from the Ottawa Rough Riders' athletic therapist that he became interested in sport medicine.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Old school baseball carries Blue Jays to top of AL East: 'I think we have a team identity'
The Toronto Blue Jays made a strong case for old school baseball in their series win over the long ball-loving New York Yankees. Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild victory as Toronto held on for an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees on Wednesday. The Blue Jays' other six runs came from smart baserunning, heads-up plays, and forcing New York into a handful of errors. "Geez, we can score runs in so many different ways," said infielder Ernie Clement, who went 2-for-4, including a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. "Pitching has been a common theme for the last few years. Those guys just give us a chance to win every single night. "Now we're rounding it out, we've got a little offence to go along with it. I think we really have a team identity. Whether that's old school baseball or just playing the game the right way, I don't know." Toronto benefited from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast, his 13th home run of the year, was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had led off the inning with a double. Clement believes Toronto's hard-nosed approach put pressure on the Yankees' fielders to play defence faster, leading to their handful of mistakes. "They know we play the game hard," said Clement. "There's no doubt that they pick their heads up [after fielding the ball] and we're halfway to first base, head down, running hard. "As a fielder, that puts all the pressure in the world on you. You've got to be clean. If you bobble the ball at all, I mean, we're safe." The Blue Jays and Yankees have played seven games at Rogers Centre in the past two weeks, with Toronto going 6-1 to take a four-game lead in the American League East, lock up the season series and therefore the tiebreaker should the two teams end the year with identical records. "In these two series, we've given them too many outs and it's cost us," said New York manager Aaron Boone. "You can't give good teams extra outs. "And, again, that's what we've done in these two series." 'Working their butts off' Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and no walks. Blue Jays relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. "Every single day, they're working their absolute butts off, and then they go out there and they're giving effort," said Bassitt of Toronto's positions players. "Extremely old school, I would say. "If you know me, I'm a fan of old school. I love this team." By contrast, New York lives and dies by the long ball. All four of the Yankees runs came from homers on Wednesday. New York entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. The Blue Jays travel to Detroit for a four-game series starting Thursday. The Central-leading Tigers play a scrappier style of baseball like Toronto and it shows in their record. The Blue Jays (60-42) are tied with the West-leading Houston Astros for the best record in the American League, with Detroit a half-game behind them. "We're going to play a team that does the exact same thing in Detroit, so you have to be ready for it," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "This game is hard; you know what I mean? This game is hard. "I think that every team is built a little bit differently, so we really pride ourselves on taking care of the baseball." Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound for the Blue Jays in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the Tigers (60-43), who have dropped eight of their past nine games.
