What is your current perception of Hockey Canada?
I haven’t talked to any hockey people who are standing up for our nation’s pastimes organization. Not after what has transpired this past year.
This entire situation has rubbed me the wrong way. As a Canadian minor hockey alum, Hockey Canada was always the gold standard. Any tournaments or gear that had their brand and logo was a hot commodity. Watching Team Canada compete in the Olympics felt like a can’t miss, once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience.
I remember way back when Esso had an Olympic collector cards promotion. This would have been the 1998 Nagano games when NHL players attending was still novel. As a kid, I had to have all the Canadian player’s cards. I would insist my father go fill up the car so I could have a chance at the Steve Yzerman card. These heroes of mine donning the Team Canada jersey was the pinnacle of hockey viewership for me.
How things can change…
I know I was naive to think that this revered organization would not have some skeletons in the closet. Yet, the nature of said skeletons is far more horrid than I could ever imagine. It is not a shock that humans in positions of power abuse that situation. It’s the systematic cover-up to keep this under the rug that bothers me the most. Instead of taking the right action and embracing the public relations nightmare, Hockey Canada thought using taxpayer money to pay for disgusting settlements was the ethical decision. The optics and selfishness that have been and continue to be displayed seem unforgivable.
NHL stars say Hockey Canada sex abuse scandal ‘terrible for everybody’ https://t.co/Atrnaf1TZY pic.twitter.com/VUpDwtbIGX
— Global National (@GlobalNational) September 16, 2022
The first step is for the current board to step down. The privileged self-interest that is on full display with the current regime needs to stop. Scott Smith handing out the gold medals to the women’s team after all the calls for him to step down was sickening.
Who is fit to rebuild Team Canada’s brand? I don’t have the answer. But I know the answer isn’t currently employed by the organization.