Hayley Wickenheiser calls Hockey Canada 'disgraceful,' says leadership needs change
Hayley Wickenheiser, four-time Olympic gold medallist and Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager, said Hockey Canada needs a leadership change following the organization’s resistance to address its handling of alleged sexual assaults.
“When you make a mistake you should own up to it and you should make change and that’s what we need, is change,” Wickenheiser said while speaking to reporters after her induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night in Toronto.
“I spent 23 years of my life around Hockey Canada and it’s beyond disappointing and disgraceful what I’ve seen.”
Her remarks follow reports that Hockey Canada was using registration fees to help pay for a multimillion-dollar settlement to address sexual assault allegations.
Since then, a slew of Hockey Canada’s corporate backers, including Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons, have pulled their sponsorship for the organization while its leadership continues to firmly reject the idea of stepping down.
Earlier this week, Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer Scott Smith said he would not resign, but instead, would take on “this responsibility for change.”
“We need a fresh start for sure,” Wickenheiser said.
“We need leadership that is going to be open minded, transparent and insightful. I think right now, there is a lack of insight into what the rest of the country is feeling about what’s going on.”
Wickenheiser said it’s taken a while for her to process the news after spending more than two decades working alongside the organization. But nevertheless, she said she knows one thing for sure.
“Hockey in this country, regardless of what happens in the board rooms, it’s the grassroots, it’s the moms and dads, the volunteers, the Zambonis and cafeteria’s and the rink that keep hockey going,” she said.
“Regardless of what’s happening in the board rooms, the lights will always be on in rinks across this country, and hockey will go on. It’s much bigger than any person or organization.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok, ByteDance sue to block U.S. law seeking sale or ban of app
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in U.S. federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.