Otto
Lynch Syndrome. Know your families cancer history
Thanks to @cupcrazyman for posting this on the Sarnia board... sheds some more light on things London Memorial Cup champ says he'll join junior-hockey lawsuit
Any way to read without full membership to Athletic? I’d pay a fee to just read article.
Read the other article I posted...Any way to read without full membership to Athletic? I’d pay a fee to just read article.
That's the problem. It doesn't have to be. Hazing has nothing to do with hockey. It needs to get out of the game.
Facts: What Hazing Looks Like | Hazing PreventionHazing is any action taken or any situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment or ridicule and risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a group or team, whether new or not, regardless of the person's willingness to participate.
Regarding the sexual assault, charges were dropped... not much else you can do about that.Can anybody shed some light on why Bill Bowler is still in a position of power with an OHL hockey team? I brought this up in the Windsor thread, but because of hockey's warped protectionist mentality my concerns were minimized and dismissed. Its actually quite comical to read people condemning the toxic culture in hockey in one post, and then making excuses for Bill Bowler in their next post. The way the Windsor fans responded to what I said about Bowler is the perfect example of how even fans play a role in perpetuating the endless cycle of abuse of power we see in junior hockey. For those that may be unaware, I'll provide a bit of background on the situation:
Bill Bowler as captain of the Spitfires was charged back in the 90s with sexual assault along with two teammates. Charges were dropped because the crown felt there wasn't enough evidence to result in a conviction. Fast forward a few years and Bill Bowler as assistant coach of the Windsor Spitfires was present on the bus when Akim Aliu was hot boxed in the infamous hazing incident. Fast forward to today, that same Bill Bowler is the GM of the Windsor Spitfires, in the ultimate position of power over all of the players.
I understand the man's number hangs in the rafters, and we can't put history on trial however this isn't about what Bowler may or may not have done. Its about making sure the environment that allowed these things never happens again, and I fail to see how having that man in that position is going to accomplish that. Branch approved this guy as GM, any thoughts?
Hazing can take many form. For example, it is common for rookies to load all the equipment on the bus. THAT is also hazing.
Hazing can take many form. For example, it is common for rookies to load all the equipment on the bus. THAT is also hazing.
but that’s the standard you should be held to when playing in the CHL. you aren’t just “another teenager”. with the privilege of playing such high level hockey comes a responsibility to represent yourself and your team both at the rink and away from it. if you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be in the league and the next level shouldn’t even be a thought.
some of the decisions being made by “leaders” and future pros aren’t just immature, they’re criminal and borderline psychopathic[/
Very well said.I have a 15 (almost 16) year old son - and while I expect there will be times he makes immature decisions/mistakes, that fact does not exempt him from consequences for his behaviour. There are expectations surrounding his conduct between his father and I....and if at his age, he did NOT know that sexually assaulting/the violent hazing of a teammate - or staying silent and complicit in the face of either - was wrong, then we as his parents have not done our job. At the same time, if I were to entrust the care of my child (a minor, at that) to the *supposedly* responsible adults in charge of the team he was playing for - I'd want to know that his physical/emotional/mental health was being taken seriously - and if it wasn't (and I found out about it) then as the parent of a minor, the team's needs at that time wouldn't matter a bit. At the ages these players are, they should have a basic sense of right vs. wrong -- and if putting them up on such a high pedestal is one of the root causes of this issue, then perhaps the pedestal needs to be knocked down and the system redeveloped CHL wide.
That doesn't happen. In the OHL when you display this kind of behavior you end up as a GM. Take Bill Bowler with the Spitfires for example: Akim Aliu and the other rookies are stripped naked and forced into the bus bathroom on a trip home. The coach and his assistants do nothing to stop it, but head coach Moe Mantha is the only coach held responsible by the league. Why? As an assistant coach Bill Bowler likely would have been even more aware of what team leadership was up to at the back of the bus than the head coach, but for some reason he was not held accountable, as far as the league is concerned it was all Moe. Now that he's the GM of the team, do you think any players will feel safe going to him with an issue? Its sick.It’s embarrassing for the CHL. You don’t see this consistent type of behavior in high school sports or most college sports that I know. It’s a culture thing and sadly the CHL has allowed it to go on (that includes league officials and individual team officials). No place for it and that type of behavior should result in player X being kicked out of the league and coach X being banned for life if they partaked and certainly abolished if they know of it and don’t address
Lets everyone sue everyone now n get this over with?????
That doesn't happen. In the OHL when you display this kind of behavior you end up as a GM. Take Bill Bowler with the Spitfires for example: Akim Aliu and the other rookies are stripped naked and forced into the bus bathroom on a trip home. The coach and his assistants do nothing to stop it, but head coach Moe Mantha is the only coach held responsible by the league. Why? As an assistant coach Bill Bowler likely would have been even more aware of what team leadership was up to at the back of the bus than the head coach, but for some reason he was not held accountable, as far as the league is concerned it was all Moe. Now that he's the GM of the team, do you think any players will feel safe going to him with an issue? Its sick.
I don't care how many women are involved in sport, that isnt the issue here. Police departments have all sorts of women on the force and it doesn't stop the abuse of power there, it isn't going to stop it on a hockey team either. To fix a problem you need to address the problem, not treat the symptoms. Sexism, racism, homophobia, and hazing are just symptoms of the problem in hockey, not the problem itself. The problem is abuse of power and protecting those who do it.Hockey is like that though. If you're a hockey lifer you will be given every chance hell or high water to make good. Heck the Spitfires example for a full year they played a guy that was convicted of sexual assault 2 years later and some fans still cheered when he would get a goal even with that hanging over his head. There are a lot of things in wrong in sports overall eg.. the lack of females in the big 4. Yes some sports are being more progressive but they are far from breaking some glass ceiling. It's about time started being comfortable being uncomfortable but with sports and machoism you won't see it.
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This may get ugly before it gets fixed so here's hoping it does get fixed. I just hope this group is not just window dressing and can swing the hatchet when required.
Has to have been an alternate process that could have been used to get to their end goal, without all the lawyers and court costs etc.