The dam is about to break regarding this story, and it can't happen soon enough.
Hockey's toxic culture has needed a reckoning for an extremely long time, and as disgusting & heartbreaking as these stories are, it helps push things in a direction that the sport needed to go eons ago.
As a former CHL player and CJHL player, I 100% agree....the toxic culture around hockey in regards to sexual behaviors as well as bullying type behavior needs to change. It has been going in the right direction, but this situation is obviously one that shows regression, especially players that should of known better, having agents, playing high level hockey and for team Canada, one would assume the conversation of sexual activities/partying/women has been broached several times to these players. But obviously they didn't get the message.
I for one, have never in my life been involved in this type of situation, but know 100% for sure it happened on teams I played for. As I get older/wiser and see my kids involved in the sport, I start to understand why these things were allowed to happen.
I look back at my time in hockey and come to the conclusion:
1. Many hockey players come from out of town/different city, they arrive in a new community and often start to receive multiple messages/DM's from girls/women in that community. I currently billet players playing at a high level and have seen this happen many times. Without knowing the girls/women, the players engage in conversations and it goes from there. I don't understand why girls/women seek out the players even before they arrive, but perhaps a new face, athletic, potential to have a future with the player and get out of the community with that player. Or perhaps to seek out fun....or all of the above.
2. Players feel invincible and don't nee to be accountable now that they are away from family/friends. Kind of the same attitude of "What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas". It gives people the idea that they can get away with more and willing to take more risks because it is not where they have come from.
3. Sexual acts are still deemed as private/taboo acts to talk about in public settings. So if a woman/girl has sex with players, their is still the idea in most peoples minds it won't get out. If they do the details don't etc.
4. Sexual assaults are very very hard to prove after the fact as it often comes down to ones word against the other. Consent is also a very poorly understood definition by most people not involved in the judicial system. So a consenting adult female may revoke consent throughout the act, but those who are involved may not understand that and proceed on.
We are all still human, we all still have deeply rooted desires surrounding who/how we pursue partners....those things are changing and social norms are becoming better. But there are still animalistic tendencies for females to seek out partners they believe will give them and their offspring the best chance at success in life. Hockey players are often those types of historical individuals.
I don't understand why these things still happen....why players ever think its right to take advantage of a woman in this position. Its wrong on all levels....but the culture of hockey and women in Canada is a deeply routed thing. And it needs to be talked about and understood....
I hope that these players aren't thrown out like trash right away....their needs to be some form of a study on these types of things to understand how/why they happen to try and create an educational portion required by players/parents/coaches and executives.
I hope this doesn't get too ugly.
forums.hfboards.com
