07/29/2022 – CanucksBanter

July 29, 2022 The Athletic

The International Ice Hockey Federation is launching an inquiry to “obtain additional information” about sexual assault allegations involving Hockey Canada and how the national organization has addressed them, the world governing body announced Friday.

Hockey Canada was previously named in a lawsuit that alleged eight players, including some members of Canada’s World Junior team, sexually assaulted a young woman in 2018. The alleged assault occurred in a London, Ont., hotel room in June 2018 following a Hockey Canada Foundation event.

The lawsuit, which was resolved via a settlement agreement between Hockey Canada and the woman who made the allegations, was filed in April and became public in May.

“The IIHF was informed by Hockey Canada about this settlement in May 2022 and has launched an inquiry to obtain additional information concerning the cases and Hockey Canada’s actions to address them,” the IIHF said in a statement. “These are deeply troubling incidents that the IIHF takes extremely seriously.”

Authorities in London have reopened an investigation related to the 2018 allegations. Last week, Chief Steve Williams said a sexual assault investigation began in June 2018, and eight months later, it was concluded with no criminal charges laid. Hockey Canada said earlier this month it was reopening a third-party investigation into how the incident was handled.

New allegations of a group sexual assault in Halifax involving members of the 2003 Canadian World Junior Team surfaced last week.Halifax police have opened an investigation into the claims.

Earlier this week during parliamentary hearings in Ottawa, multiple MPs called for Hockey Canada executives to resign. MP Kevin Waugh asserted to current Hockey Canada president and CEO Scott Smith that “Canadians have lost trust.”

The IIHF said it will “monitor Hockey Canada’s actions, including the reopened investigation, to ensure that it is acting in accordance with the IIHF Abuse and Harassment Code.”

(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)

Selection camp welcomes under-18, development and senior athletes to Calgary to open 2022-23 season

By Hockey Canada

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has invited 142 of the nation’s top players to attend the BFL National Women’s Program selection camp, set to take place Aug. 3-14 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park.

The 11-day camp will bring together athletes vying for spots on Canada’s National Women’s Team, Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team as a start to the 2022-23 season and a new four-year Olympic cycle.

Player selections were led by Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.), director of hockey operations with Hockey Canada, along with Cherie Piper (Scarborough, Ont.), senior manager of player development and scouting, and Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.), head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team.

“This is a great opportunity to bring all three groups together in one place and start to envision what the next four years will look like,” said Kingsbury. “We are coming off a very successful season and we are looking to continue building on that. We have a full complement of experienced staff to lead our camps but having our Olympic athletes able to play leadership roles where they can mentor and share their experience is a positive step in our journey towards the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan.”

Canada’s National Women’s Team and Canada’s National Women’s Development Team hopefuls will be split into four teams for practices, intrasquad games and off-ice sessions. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team invitees will be split into two teams – Red and White – for practices, intrasquad games and off-ice sessions. They will also welcome Finland’s national women’s under-18 team, giving the U18 group an opportunity to experience international competition.

Following the selection camp, the cross-border series with the United States will be re-introduced for the first time since 2019. Player selections will be made by Ryan, Kori Cheverie (New Glasgow, N.S./N.-E.) and Courtney Birchard-Kessel (Mississauga, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) , head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, with input from Piper and Kingsbury. Team Canada will also face Finland on Aug. 14 in a final tune-up before the Canada-U.S. series.

The selection camp is also a critical step for Canada’s National Women’s Team in preparation for the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship, Aug. 24-Sept. 4 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark. Canada is expected to play Denmark and the United States in a pair of pre-tournament games prior to the start of the women’s worlds.