In 2017, one of the biggest campaigns in the NHL was “Hockey Is For Everyone.” This campaign was to promote inclusivity and diversity in the sport. While some positive results have come from this initiative, the NHL should be embarrassed by using this campaign while welcoming back players whose behaviors have resulted in direct harm to others.
The NHL is one of the oldest sports organizations in North America, founded in 1917. For the league’s existence to reach 108 years, it surprisingly lacks a policy on domestic and sexual violence. Instead of having a written policy, the league evaluates situations on a case-by-case basis. This leads to a lack of accountability.
On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Golden Knights released a statement about a player they signed to a professional tryout contract. The player, Carter Hart, is one of the five players who were recently part of the Team Canada 2018 sexual assault trial.
While Hart and the other four were acquitted of their crimes, the NHL called the allegations “very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable.” Since these actions were unacceptable, as said by the NHL, these players should not have access to enter the league again.
Only one player has ever been banned for life from the sport; even then, the ban was lifted. The NHL continuously says it cares about the victims and wants to be better, yet it sweeps cases under the rug and provides a road to redemption for players who do wrong.
For years, the Hockey Canada organization used registration funds to pay out sexual abuse allegations and other claims dating back to 2008. This past summer, the NHL reinstated Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman, two men who didn’t go to the police when they were made aware that assistant video coach Brad Aldrich was preying on young men. Quenneville, who spent four full seasons away from the league, was welcomed back as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Bowman now serves as the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers.
These accomplice a traumatic incident that happened to young players, and the NHL decided to give them a second chance, placing them in charge of organizations.
The Knights have not been absolved of backlash from fans after the signing of Hart. Fans have taken to social media to show their displeasure about the signing. The Knights organization has not commented on the signing besides the original post about it; however, Captain Mark Stone was asked about it and said the players are “looking forward to having him here,” a statement echoed by Jack Eichel.
The Knights went as far as revoking press credentials from a reporter who asked about the potential signing before it was officially announced. This sets a precedent that journalists can’t ask about the high-profile trial without the threat of getting their credentials revoked for doing their job.
In the Knights' official statement, they said, “We remain committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception.” The team cannot say they are committed to core values, but sign a player whose actions were deemed by the NHL to be “unacceptable.”
The Knights are not the only organization to ignore the voices of victims; the NHL as a whole is to blame and should be embarrassed for not changing after years.
Cassie is a senior studying communications at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassie? Email her at cb086021@ohio.edu.
