The Canadian Hockey League is in trouble again, named in yet another lawsuit

Hockey Canada has been an unmitigated disaster for an awful long time with scandals, lawsuits and an entire board of directors resigning due to the organizations failure to address allegations of sexual assault, but according to Rick Westhead of TSN the organization somehow still manages to find itself wrought with controversy, but this time it may be something that's out of their control.

TSN and Westhead have reported that Lloyd's of London which runs an insurance market of syndicate members that include AIG and Allianz Global Risk US Insurance Company, are refusing to provide coverage to the Canadian Hockey League in an ongoing lawsuit that was filed in Milton, ON pertaining to abuse. The plaintiffs include former National Hockey League veteran Dan Carcillo, as well as Garrett Taylor and Stephen Quirk. The lawsuit in question alleges that the league, it's teams and their executives ‘perpetuated a toxic environment which condones violent, discriminatory, racist, sexualized and homophobic conduct, including physical and sexual assault on the underage players they are obliged to protect.' Furthermore, sixteen more former CHL players filed affidavits detailing their alleged abuse. The age of the players ranged from 27-57.


It should be no secret that their continues to be a need for a changing of the guard within Hockey Canada and the organizations that are affiliated within them, however unless you go through each of them with a fine-tooth comb, you will continue to discover how many improprieties have actually occurred over the decades where players were encouraged to keep quiet and just play the game, which in absolute hindsight was not right and now someone should and will absolutely pay the price.


Those of us who have who have loved the game and have cheered for our country, our Major Junior team or come through a minor hockey system with the ignorance that everything was always okay because we felt that being at the rink was our safe space are waking up and realizing that the parent company and the conglomerate organizations within them will need to continue to work hard to earn our trust, but it should make those who have children who want to play the game think as to whether the overall risk that could be lifelong outweighs the reward when those children who suffered who are now adults have a firm understanding now that what they went through wasn't normal and that unless things change, will you ever really trust anyone associated with that which was responsible.