NHL seeks to 'protect the game' instead of victims at all costs: sex abuse survivor

CANMORE, ALTA. -

As the fallout over the Chicago Blackhawks’ handling of sexual assault allegations continues, much of the discussion has turned to the culture within the NHL and its handling of a long history of abuse.

Survivors say that by coming forward, players like Kyle Beach, the former Blackhawks prospect at the centre of the allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich, are paving the way for a shift in that culture. But the NHL’s attitude of “protecting the game” at all costs presents a major hurdle.

“Hockey culture is very real… the name on the front of the jersey is far more important than the name on the back,” Toronto-based lawyer, former hockey player and sexual assault survivor Greg Gilhooly told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday.

“The mantra is: Don't do anything to interfere with the team. Don't be a distraction. Don't get in the way of our potential success. We've got to be focused on the game. And that's wrong. Sexual assault is about individuals, and if you can't focus on the individual in an instance of assault, you've got a real cultural problem.”

Gilhooly, who showed promise as a young goalie in Winnipeg, was a victim of former hockey coach and serial abuser Graham James – the same man who abused ex-NHL star Theoren Fleury.

The abuse he suffered derailed his hockey aspirations and resulted in decades of trauma that prevented him from coming forward about his experience until others did.

“When Kyle came forward, it was gut wrenching [to watch] because when he was front and centre on the cameras, the pain was just dripping off of him. It was like looking into a mirror,” Gilhooly said.

“It was sickening because he had clearly lost all sense of self coming out of this, and nobody in the game was giving him the support that he needed. No one was taking his complaints seriously. Nobody was thinking of him first.”

Beach came forward as John Doe in the team’s sexual assault investigation in late October, identifying himself as the first accuser of Aldrich, the team’s video coach from 2008 to 2010. He is now suing the team, saying they largely ignored the allegations.

Now, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has come under fire for defending the league's role in the investigation, including its decisions on additional discipline for those involved.

Despite growing calls for Bettman’s resignation in hopes of a catalyst for change in the league, Gilhooly says Bettman’s real crime is acting “like a lawyer” for the league instead of supporting his players.

“What the NHL needs now is humanity and strong, aggressive leadership,” he said.

“When I saw Gary Bettman on Monday, he was acting like a lawyer, giving carefully thought-out answers so as to minimize any potential legal liability in court on a go-forward basis. What the NHL and its leader should be doing is stepping up and saying, ‘You know what? We got this wrong. We made a mistake. We have to do better.’”

Gilhooly, who wrote about his experience in a book titled “I Am Nobody,” notes that this story isn’t just about brushing one incident of abuse under the rug, but covering up ongoing predatory behaviour within hockey.

“It’s so vivid… the things that went wrong with the Blackhawks and the response to Kyle's complaint,” he said. “Graham James effectively festered in the back channels of hockey for years. The problem with abusers is they don't just abuse once, if they're abusing, they are abusing as a pattern.”

He hopes the bravery of players like Beach will inspire more to step up and come forward about their abuse – a movement that he said will eventually force change from within.

“My hope is that when others come forward, still more to come forward in the wake of that, that it gets easier every time for a victim to come forward and tell the truth about what's gone on and try to understand that there really is no shame behind what happened,” he said.

“That's what makes it difficult for abusers – when you foster an environment where people can come forward. People can stick their noses in and get in the way of bad people doing bad things.”