Connor McDavid has answered the call to wear Canada’s red Maple Leaf throughout his career.
The same goes for Nathan MacKinnon.
And like the rest of the country, the two stars watched from afar as a scandal-filled summer unfolded for Hockey Canada — the sport’s national governing body — after news broke of an alleged sexual assault involving members of the 2018 world junior team.
“I’m very proud to be Canadian, very proud to represent Hockey Canada,” McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain, said Thursday at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour just outside Las Vegas.
“A situation that is terrible for everybody.”
Editor’s Note: The following story deals with sexual assault, and may be distressing for some readers.
If you or someone you know is in need of support, those in Canada can find province-specific centres, crisis lines and services here. For readers in America, a list of resources and references for survivors and their loved ones can be found here.
Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny since the alleged sexual assault following a 2018 gala in London, Ont., involving eight unidentified players — including members of that year’s world junior team — and subsequent hushed settlement were revealed in May.
Allegations of gang sexual assault involving the 2003 world junior team then emerged in July.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
“It’s sad,” said MacKinnon, who won the Stanley Cup with his Colorado Avalanche in June. “There’s no place for that.
“I don’t know all the investigation stuff, but whatever happened wasn’t OK — that’s the main thing.”
It also came to light that Hockey Canada kept a so-called National Equity Fund maintained by player registrations from across the country to, in part, pay out uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims, since the 1990s.
The organization has said it will no longer use the fund for that purpose.
Hockey Canada had federal funding cut off in the wake of its handling of the 2018 case and settlement, a number of corporations paused sponsorship dollars, and politicians have called for regime change, including the firing of president and CEO Scott Smith.
In response to the firestorm, the organization released an action plan aimed at addressing systemic issues in hockey and has reopened its third-party investigation into the 2018 incident, as have police in London. The NHL is also investigating.
Colorado defenceman Cale Makar, who was a member of the 2018 world junior team, but previously stated he wasn’t involved in the alleged incident, spoke with investigators in its immediate aftermath, and will do so again.
“I’m completely open-book,” Makar said. “I’ll be ready for whatever. Whatever they need, basically, I’ll be there.”
The reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top blue-liner said he spoke with his parents over the summer about the Hockey Canada situation, including its National Equity Fund.
“You think about even myself coming up through minor hockey,” said the 23-year-old, who also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after helping Colorado to its second title. “My parents talk about all the fees that they paid Hockey Canada and yada yada for me to be able to play, and then for all this stuff to come out, I can only imagine the amount of parents that were thinking, ‘Oh, this is where my fees are going.’
“It’s obviously a very tough look. The identity and the culture definitely needs to be changed. It’s just that time.”
