Financial records reveal some pretty damning action from Hockey Canada

Despite pledging for a second time that there were no additional "slush funds" of case to pay off victims of sexual assault allegations, investigators have discovered a third such fund in their financial audit of Hockey Canada.

Katie Strang of The Athletic reports that a third fund of cash reserves has been discovered that was hidden from public view and accounting. Hockey Canada was already found to have two other such accounts that they had been using to pay off claims without public knowledge. None of these accounts or these payments are listed on Hockey Canada's financial records and the organization cannot account for its expenditures. The investigation asserts that Hockey Canada did not included these on their financial records because, “They were worried about transparency and they were trying to avoid disclosure.”

In other words: They didn't want people to find out.

More from Strang, taken directly from the government's review:

“Although Hockey Canada has achieved considerable financial success over the years, Hockey Canada is concerned that being seen as an organization with ‘deep pockets’ could create some negative implications,” the review states. “For example, this could have an effect on their bargaining power with respect to the settlement of lawsuits, and this could also influence the amount of money that sponsors would be willing to offer in the future.

“This is not to mention the fact that the media could use this information to depict a negative image of the organization.”

Hockey Canada has paid out 21 settlements from 1989-2022. Ten of those settlements were related to injuries, with 11 related to sexual assault or sexual misconduct. This has been happening for years and we're only learning about it now because Hockey Canada has been forced to show their hidden financial records.

“These expenditures were not consistently recorded in the financial statements or general ledger,” the review states.

To me, this is just another example in a growing list of examples why Hockey Canada should never be trusted again. The organization has proven that it cannot be trusted to make sound decisions in the best interest of the sport and the country. To be frank, they're too busy covering their own asses to do anything meaningful.

And here's the thing... if a third fund was discovered, how much do you wanna bet that there's a fourth one out there?