NHLPA faux pas in Hockey Canada’s new protocol in wake of the 2018 scandal

The Athletic shared a memo from the NHLPA on Friday, in which the Association has claimed to have taken issues with new screening measures put in place by Hockey Canada ahead of the men’s World Hockey Championship.

According to The Athletic, players were subjected to a criminal records check and a social media screening in order to take part in the tournament in Latvia and Finland this month. The tourney kicked off today and runs until May 28.

“The screening process is extremely broad and includes the required disclosure of anything that could negatively impact Hockey Canada’s reputation,” the memo obtained by The Athletic stated. “We asked Hockey Canada to clarify how players were to respond to this question, but they were unable to provide any useful guidance.”

With the NHLPA comes out swinging with its statement, Hockey Canada informed the Athletic that it does not believe any players opted out of participating at the World Championship due to the new protocols.

“There are a number of reasons why players choose to not participate in the IIHF World Championship, both for Canada and other countries,” Hockey Canada’s vice president of sport safety Natasha Johnston told The Athletic. “When inviting players to participate, reasons for not playing included timing of the tournament, injury, offseason plans and more, and we respect the decisions of each individual to either participate or not participate.”

When the protocol was first detailed by Rick Westhead of TSN, it mentioned that the new screening measures included questions about whether players have been previously disciplined, among other things.

This new protocol was prompted by everything that ensued from the scandal involving 2018 World Junior Championship team members that has been linked to sexual assault allegations.

When a woman alleged she was assaulted by eight team members during a Hockey Canada Foundation gala in 2018, Hockey Canada was heavily criticized for the way it handled the allegations. Since, the organization and the London, Ont. police reopening their investigations.

However, you have to admit that the reaction from the NHLPA is not a bright one if they want to support the change in culture in hockey and teach young men to behave and respect women, preventing despicable actions from associations like Hockey Canada, who might have covered crimes, leading to investigations and huge sponsors, including Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire, adjusting how they advertise with the company.

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