'I was appalled': Major sponsors distance themselves from Hockey Canada amid allegations
The governing body of Canada's national pastime has lost three major sponsors following an alleged sexual assault scandal.
On Tuesday, Scotiabank and Telus announced they were pausing their sponsorship of Hockey Canada due to an investigation of a 2018 sexual assault allegation against members of Canada's world junior hockey team.
Canadian Tire went one step further, saying it's withdrawing its financial support for the upcoming world junior tournament in Moncton and Halifax.
An unidentified woman filed a lawsuit in April claiming she was repeatedly assaulted in a hotel room in London, On, after a Hockey Canada golf tournament and gala event.
The woman alleged in her lawsuit some of the men who attacked her were members of the 2018 gold-medal-winning team from four years ago.
Hockey Canada has since reportedly settled the lawsuit for an unknown amount and the allegations against the players have never been proven.
In a statement released Tuesday, Scotiabank Cheif Executive Officer Brian Porter said in part;
“I was appalled by the recent reports of alleged assault involving younger ambassadors of Canada’s game.”
“The alleged behaviour in this current case is contrary to the beliefs and values that hockey is meant to embody, and those that we champion at Scotiabank, as Canada’s hockey bank.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said they are watching the situation closely.
"We're certainly calling on Hockey Canada to be more transparent. More transparency is what's needed for sure. We made a commitment to the World Juniors at Christmas time and that commitment stands," said Houston.
Freelance journalist Will MacLaren covers the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for The Hockey News. The Halifax-based writer doesn't believe the world juniors are in jeopardy but thinks some fans may stay away from Team Canada's games.
"I think that's a distinct possibility and I think that ties in as well with what we're seeing with the sponsorship situation," said MacLaren.
"To be perfectly blunt, perhaps there's some people within the Hockey Canada community that will feel a greater impact if they were hit in the wallet than if they were based on personal feelings."
Craig Eagles has been involved in hockey all his life, as a player, coach, broadcaster and as a junior scout. He calls the current situation a black eye for Hockey Canada.
"With so many sponsors pulling out, especially from a federal standpoint as well, Hockey Canada might struggle. Will they struggle from a hockey product on the ice? No, it's every kid's dream to play for Canada, for their country. But, financially this is going to hurt," said Eagles.
The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship is set to begin on Boxing Day at Moncton's Avenir Centre and Halifax's Scotiabank Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.