Hockey Canada: Sponsors quit amid sex assault scandal

Child doing hockey drills

Sponsors have been pulling out of men’s ice hockey programmes in Canada amid growing fallout from a sex assault scandal earlier this year.

Hockey Canada revealed it paid millions in settlements for sexual misconduct claims going back to the 1980s.

There have been calls for new management, but leadership has dug in its heels.

That has led to major sponsors leaving ahead of the 2022-2023 season.

Hockey Canada manages programmes and teams in the country from entry-level all the way to world championships and the Olympic Games.

Earlier this year, they confirmed they had paid almost C$9m ($6.5m; £5.8m) in 21 settlements for sex assault complaints against its players since 1989. The Globe and Mail reported that these settlements were paid with player registration fees the organisation collects from parents and youth across the country.

The revelations have rocked the country, where ice hockey is viewed as a national pastime and playing in a league is viewed by many as a right of passage for young children.

Over the summer, many sponsors fled, as the federal government began a probe into how the governing body, which also receives public funds, handled allegations of sexual abuse. This week, Hockey Canada leadership dug in its heels amid calls for mass resignations, leading to the decision of many sponsors to not come back.

On Thursday, national retailer Canadian Tire announced it was permanently ending its relationship with Hockey Canada.

“In our view, Hockey Canada continues to resist meaningful change and we can no longer confidently move forward together,” the company said in a statement to sports channel TSN.

Coffee chain Tim Hortons, Scotiabank and telecom service provider Telus have all said they would continue to not sponsor upcoming men’s ice hockey programmes into the 2022-2023 season.

“We are deeply disheartened by the lack of action and commitment from Hockey Canada to drive necessary cultural change,” Telus said in a statement Thursday.

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The sponsor exodus came after a highly publicised – and widely criticised – appearance from Hockey Canada’s interim board chair Andrea Skinner before a parliamentary committee investigating the scandal. Politicians from all parties have called on a change of leadership to restore public trust in the organisation, which also receives federal funds.

Instead, Ms Skinner said a management change would be “very impactful in a negative way to all of our boys and girls who are playing hockey”.

“Will the lights stay on at the rink? I don’t know. We can’t predict that. To me, it’s not a risk worth taking.”

Her comments drew ire from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said “it boggles the mind” that Hockey Canada has not changed course.

“Parents across the country are losing faith or have lost faith in Hockey Canada. Certainly, politicians here in Ottawa have lost faith in Hockey Canada,” he told media.

Hockey Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.