CHL abuse survivor Daniel Carcillo releases statement on Hockey Canada testimony

Content warning: this article speaks about sexual assault.

Daniel Carcillo, a former NHL player who is spearheading a class action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League, released a statement on Wednesday regarding the ongoing Hockey Canada hearings.

Hockey Canada has come under fire in recent weeks due to sexual assault allegations against members of the 2003 and 2018 World Junior teams and a report that the organization used revenue generated from minor hockey fees to create a fund for settlements for such situations.

In his statement, Carcillo criticized Hockey Canada’s top officials for denying the existence of systemic and ongoing problems in junior hockey…

“I am one of the lead plaintiffs in a class action against the Canadian Hockey League. I have shared my stories of abuse as a child playing in this league, as have dozens of others. I lead this class action on behalf of scores of children and young people who were abused while playing in the CHL, just like my teammates and I were.

I heard the testimony that Dan MacKenzie, David Branch, Gilles Courteau and Ron Robison, the leaders of junior hockey in Canada, gave before a House of Commons Committee this afternoon. These individuals used their appearances before that committee as an opportunity to litigate my class action in public, in circumstances where I lacked any opportunity to respond. 

Their testimony today denied the existence of systemic and ongoing problems in junior hockey. I disagree. I believe that there is a culture of hazing and abuse in the CHL. I believe that there is, and has long been, system-wide knowledge of this culture. Systemic failures continue to occur in protecting the children and young people who play in the CHL. I believe the evidence will show this. I look forward to proving as much in Court, beginning with the certification hearing in my class action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice this November.”

Carcillo, who played for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League from 2002 to 2005, alleges that he suffered abuse while playing major junior hockey.

Carcillo was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003 and went on to play 429 games at the NHL level.