Hockey Canada summit discusses cultural issues within the sport. What has been done? And what's next?

OTTAWA Thursday morning was a big deal for Normand Hector. It's not every day that a black, queer drag performer is asked to comment on issues of hockey culture surrounding transphobia and homophobia, let alone provide that blueprint to a national federation investing in a systemic overhaul.

Hector was the keynote speaker at Hockey Canadas Beyond the Boards Summitaddressing a conference room full of hockey executives and administrators at a hotel in downtown Ottawa.

Hector kept the audience's attention by telling stories about his experiences talking to hockey players and their families and coaches. He was called in to advise a team that kept throwing a player in the trash after games. He implored another team to speak up if they ever saw a young woman being treated violently. There was a time when a young player confessed to Hector that his parents did not want him to attend his session for fear that he would turn them gay, and that his parents saw him as the devil.

How am I going to make you gay? Am I going to smear you too? said Hector.

Hector says he spoke to 800 players and their parents and 50 coaches. Hector also performed during the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John, NBas their drag persona Normani.

It was emotional to see how far it has come, Hector said. When I started this journey, I never dreamed I would be here and doing this.

The second annual Between the Boards summit comes as Hockey Canada's image continues to be clouded by sexual assault allegations against five former World Junior players. In 2022, Hockey Canada faced intense national scrutiny and criticism for its handling of the allegations. Several senior leaders were removed from their positions as sponsors fled.

The inaugural Between the Boards took place in September 2023 in Calgary, during Hockey Canada president Katherine Henderson's first week in office.

This year's event revolved around themes of gender-based violence, homophobia, transphobia and sexism. The two-day summit will include panels with former NHL executive Brian Burke, former National Womens Hockey League star Harrison Browne and Sportsnet's Ailish Forfar. Marni Panas, a transgender woman, LGBTQ2S+ activist and diversity and inclusion consultant, will moderate the summit. The Athletics was allowed to attend part of the event, but some sessions and panel discussions were closed to working media.

I think what really motivates me is when I hear about things in systems that have really hurt people, and they're brave enough to come forward and they're telling their stories and they're vulnerable. It just adds fuel to the fire of really wanting to effect change, Henderson said The Athletics.

Henderson says the thought process behind this year's theme came about after the federations surveyed participants from their previous Beyond the Boards event. Last year the focus was on themes such as sexual violence and toxic masculinity. Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy was the keynote speaker.

GO DEEPER

Top Hockey Canada evokes emotion and promises improvement: 'I was almost in tears'

We wanted to know what consequences this has for you? I didn't want the typical investigation: were the sandwiches tasty? How was the transportation from the airport? It was: what did you learn? What are you going to do about it? What do you want to know? said Henderson.

The survey found that participants wanted more discussions about gender and sexuality discrimination, as well as racism. Henderson said that, according to their internal data, 63 percent of on-ice discrimination or insults were gender-related. Henderson also acknowledged that racism will likely be a topic at a future Beyond the Boards event.

“I can't imagine that these types of initiatives wouldn't become something we want to tackle on an ongoing basis,” Henderson said.

Henderson believes there will be a year when Beyond the Boards will have a discussion about the accessibility of sports for Canadians and how it is affected by rising costs and availability of facilities. These economic factors have in turn affected new Canadians or people from low-income situations who otherwise would not have grown up with the sport or could not afford to play.

We want to reach those people and make them feel at home on a hockey rink, says Jonathan Goldbloom, chairman of Hockey Canada. That means figuring out ways to roll out the red carpet so that if you grew up on a soccer field, you'll feel much more at home on one of our hockey rinks.

Since the last Beyond the Boards event, Hockey Canada has sought to educate federation members and players about gender-based violence, consent and additional screening measures. A group of third parties Sports complaints have trained them to handle complaints of abuse in a procedurally fair manner. Henderson added that Hockey Canada is working on two other projects that will study male hockey players as they transition from triple-A levels to Major Junior, and another project that will look at the character development of players who have played through the Major Junior system .

Henderson also mentioned Hockey Canada's locker room policy which was revealed in September 2023, shortly after the last Beyond the Boards event. The initiative advocates for a safe, inclusive and equitable locker room environment and requires participants to wear minimal clothing (a bra, T-shirt, compression shorts or other type of base layer) as a way to promote locker room inclusion and personal privacy.

Henderson says member groups have been working hand-in-hand with these new protocols since they were implemented, but the next step is to ensure that discriminatory behavior in Hockey Canada changes.

We don't just want people to know what the minimum standards are. We want them to be able to pronounce it. We want people to be able to change their behavior, Henderson said.

The trial of the five members of Canada's 2018 World Junior team, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dub, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, will begin on April 22, 2025. They were each charged by London police in January. with one count of sexual abuse. McLeod faces a second charge of assault for his involvement in the crime. Henderson did not comment on the trial date or any specifics surrounding the ongoing case.

GO DEEPER

Judging process for Canada's 2018 junior world players begins in April 2025

Ultimately, the challenge is to ensure that what is discussed at these Beyond the Boards events can filter into hockey culture and change it for the better, Henderson said.

What we need to do is make sure that people are aware of what the standards are, what we expect from good Canadians when they participate in the sport of hockey, that we need to remedy and that we need to learn a lot of things if you want to. teach them, Henderson said

But for God's sake, if you see something that isn't going your way, speak up. And it's okay to do that.

(Photo: Andy Devlin/Getty Images)