Changing the game: Systemic changes affecting grassroots hockey
Hockey is a huge part of life for many Canadians, but recent off-ice stories in the NHL have taken some of the shine off the country’s winter sport.
The actions of Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray are now under the microscope, in the wake of sexual assault allegations in both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks organizations.
As these revelations lead to a re-evaluating of culture in the major leagues, those lessons are trickling down to the minor levels of the sport.
According to the Executive Director of Hockey Nova Scotia, a systemic change in direction for the sport in this region began two years ago with the introduction of the Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity Inclusion Task Force.
"And it was through that process, through our public engagement with community about how we could make the game we're safe and welcoming," said Amy Walsh.
Walsh said the task force report featured a series of recommendations including the Future of Hockey Lab, a program focused on the creating, experimenting and testing game-changing ideas and innovations to make the sport more accessible for all who wish to participate
"It's a safe space to try," said Walsh. 'It's a safe space to have game changing ideas."
Former NHL player Mark Fraser said the Future of Hockey Lab would give the sport an opportunity to pivot to a more positive direction.
"One thing that we are aware of, whether it is at the grassroots level or professional level, the sport encourages silence," said Fraser.
Fraser added the sport should closely examine the kind of leaders who can contribute to the game.
"We are not necessarily calling on people with a long extensive background in hockey," said Fraser. "Whether it is hockey parents or people who are new to volunteering on the grassroots side of hockey. It should be people who care."
Fraser also says the angry hockey coach who kicks cans and throws water bottles is becoming an outdated concept, and while those types of coaches still exist, there have been steps made to remove those people from the sport.
He believes a positive step going forward is recruiting more leaders who care about the human element of hockey and inclusion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.