TSN issues a statement on their relationship with Hockey Canada

Early this morning four major Hockey Canada sponsors Essos, Canadian Tire, Telus and Tim Hortons all announced that they are pulling their sponsorship dollars from Hockey Canada in the wake of recent sexual assault allegations and, perhaps more accurately, the way in which Hockey Canada has handled these allegations.

TSN's Rick Westhead, the person at the forefront of reporting on this story, with more on Telus and Tim Hortons:

Telus, one of Hockey Canada's "premier" corporate partners, will not sponsor HC men's programs for the 2022-23 season, including World Juniors.
Telus told me it is "deeply disheartened by the lack of action and commitment from Hockey Canada to drive necessary cultural change."

- Rick Westhead

We've communicated to Hockey Canada on many occasions that the organization needs to take strong and definitive action before it can regain the faith and trust of Canadians. We're deeply disappointed in the lack of progress that Hockey Canada has made to date. We officially informed Hockey Canada this week that we have pulled out of all men's hockey programming for the 2022-23 season including the men's world junior championships. We continue to fund Canada's women's and para hockey teams, as well as youth hockey.

- Tim Hortons spokesperson

By my count that leaves just Nike, TSN, Chevrolet and a few smaller corporate sponsors left.

Honestly... I think this is the only way to bring about real change. It's clear that Hockey Canada simply doesn't care about the will of the masses, so maybe hitting them in the pocket book will actually bring about real change. 

And if that weren't enough pressure on Hockey Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself said today that Canadian government would consider effectively shutting down Hockey Canada and replacing it with a new organization, if the existing organization can't be trusted to make proper decisions.

From Trudeau:

"There needs to be wholesale change. They need to do it. They need to realize that if we have to create an organization, get rid of Hockey Canada, and create an organization called 'Canada Hockey' instead, people will look at doing that. There is a lack of understanding that they've lost the confidence of Canadians. And the sooner they get to that, the better it will be for everyone."

- Justin Trudeau

The fact that HC's executive staff haven't resigned yet is frankly mind-boggling. To sit in front of Parliament and state that you have full confidence in this staff's ability to correct its own errors is the height of arrogance and entitlement. No, you fucked up. Big time. You don't get an opportunity to make things better. You need to go away. Period.

Frankly, I'm wondering what's at stake for these staff members? I know that there's an upcoming board election for HC in the coming months, which leaves me wondering if there's some sort of financial incentive waiting for them if they finish out their terms. That's not me reporting anything, it's purely speculation. I just know that often when things don't make sense, you need to follow the dollars and cents to uncover the true answers.

The irony in all of this, of course, is that a TSN employed reporter, Rick Westhead, has been at the forefront of this story and TSN is inexplicably linked to Hockey Canada. It's no secret that TSN has turned the annual World Junior Championships into a household name brand in Canada and fans are beginning to ask when TSN itself is going to explain their relationship with Hockey Canada.

Which... they actually did today.

Check out this statement from TSN released in the wake of today's news:

To me, this reads pretty hollow.

TSN is calling for meaningful change, when they themselves can be the biggest agents of change. Simply stop promoting Hockey Canada on your channels. Done. Of course, that doesn't make financial sense... and what did I say earlier about uncovering true answers? Follow the money. Always follow the money.