“Hockey defeated”: 20 speakers from the world of sport explain why our hockey is sick

Quebec has a collective responsibility towards hockey. It is with this idea in mind that the author Marc-André Leclerc decided, in the wake of the scandals which recently shook our national sport, to look at what makes hockey sick in his book Hockey defeated.

• Also read: 16-year-olds hundreds of kilometers from their parents

“For me, hockey is too important,” underlines Mr. Leclerc in an interview. The Quebec nation was formed by our heroes: Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard. It’s more than a sport. If we decide not to take care of it […]we decide to take a portion of our society and throw it in the trash.”

From trials for sexual assault to abusive initiations, including violent behavior by parents towards officials, hockey has shown its darker side in recent years.

Hockey is “a sport which is seriously ill, but which will have to leave intensive care one day or another”, underlines the author in the pages of the book.

Go beyond the limits for victory

Throughout the work published this week by Éditions du Journal, Marc-André Leclerc cites 20 players in the sector with whom he spoke.

The goal, as he states in the first pages, was to understand “why human beings [souvent l’adulte] is ready to go beyond the limits to achieve victory or fulfill his dream.

Hockey defeated includes the point of view of the commissioner of the QMJHL, Mario Cecchini, the former general director of Hockey Québec Jocelyn Thibault and the minister responsible for Sport, Isabelle Charest.

It also highlights testimonials from former hockey players, agents, parents of players as well as athletes from other disciplines.

Little-known realities

Coming from a political background, the columnist at Quebecor sees the work as a “very humble contribution” to the debate which currently surrounds the way in which hockey is administered and practiced in Quebec.

“The objective is not to hit anyone. But I believe there are passages [dans le livre] which will introduce ordinary people to realities that they do not know,” estimates Marc-André Leclerc.

“So much the better if they subsequently become better parents, better coaches, better association managers,” he adds.

Scandals and everything else

Hockey’s recent setbacks are of course mentioned in the book. From the upcoming trial of five Hockey Canada players for sexual assault to the appearance of former QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau in parliamentary committee, shortly before his resignation in the wake of the initiations scandal.

However, Mr. Leclerc also wanted to look at other issues and realities in the world of hockey. For example, the presence of player agents, who sometimes take charge of hockey players from the start of adolescence.

Or even the fact that 16-year-olds go to play their junior hockey hundreds of kilometers from home (read ici).

The author also delves into the world of other sports, which have been affected by their own controversies.

“Today I don’t talk to any girls from the national team. No connection, explains former artistic swimmer Gabrielle Boisvert in the book. It’s a great representation of the type of relationship we had. We were always pitted against each other.”

Hockey must rise again

At the end of the 245-page book, Marc-André Leclerc draws his own conclusions on the state of hockey in Quebec, whose culture has been described as toxic in recent years.

Hockey can recover from the setback it suffered, he says. “And he has to do it,” he says, referring to his premise.

“I think it’s a difficult time, but the right people are there. It’s not perfect, but hockey evolves along with society. There will be changes in the coming years.”

Four possible solutions to cure hockey

1. Properly trained coaches and supervisors

In his book, Marc-André Leclerc asks the following question: can we ask volunteers to train young people who will become not only successful athletes, but also “positive actors outside of sport”?

According to the author, hockey would benefit from being overseen by supervisory coaches with adequate university training, which will require financial involvement from the government. “Putting money into sport and physical activity must be seen as an investment and not as an expense,” he writes.

2. All regional hockey managers should be accountable to Hockey Quebec

The resignation of Jocelyn Thibault as general director of Hockey Quebec, two years after his arrival in office, surprised the author. He was not the only one. But, adds Marc-André Leclerc, it was “clear that one man alone could not put an entire sport back in place”. Beyond his successors, “other players in the field must participate in the reflection”.

The Journal had written, at the time of his departure, that each of the 14 administrative regions of Quebec has its own body which manages, almost independently, the activities of its sector. “Everyone is a bit master of their own home,” Thibault explained at the time.

“All regional hockey managers in Quebec should report directly to Hockey Quebec,” argues the author.

3. Get toxic parents and coaches out of arenas

Marc-André Leclerc believes that parents are essential volunteers in minor hockey. “Who else could get up at six in the morning to go to a cold arena to show two young people how to brake or handle the puck?” he asks himself.

But Mr. Leclerc believes that we should no longer tolerate those who are toxic in arenas. The same goes for coaches.

“Too much behavior stems from the dream that parents have for their child,” he writes. […] However, parent-coaches, who play a vital role in our system, too often favor their own children.”

4. Focus on resources for athletes who are victims of harassment

The author spoke with Sylvain Croteau, the general director of Sport’Aide, an organization that sets up initiatives for healthy sport.

In light of the various scandals that have erupted in the world of hockey, Marc-André believes that athletes must seek help from these resources when they feel like victims of abuse.

Luckily, he adds, like society, sport is evolving and will continue to evolve. “What was accepted and tolerated in the 1980s and 1990s no longer has its place in sport or elsewhere,” he points out.

Hockey has been defeated in recent times

June 8, 2021: Two Victoriaville Tigres players are arrested as part of an investigation into sexual assault on a 17-year-old minor on the sidelines of the party following the team’s victory in the President Cup. Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano have since been convicted and sentenced to prison, but their sentences have been appealed.

May 26, 2022: The TSN journalist reveals that Hockey Canada has settled amicably a sexual assault case allegedly involving a young woman and a total of eight young hockey players, including several athletes from the 2018 edition of Junior Team Canada. Ultimately, five players, all of whom played in the NHL, were named at the trial. This will begin in the fall of 2025.

February 23, 2023: A column by Martin Leclerc, from -, highlights shocking practices during initiations in Canadian junior hockey. Documents filed in progress relate disturbing testimonies, including cases of sexual abuse.

5 mars 2023: The commissioner of the QMJHL, Gilles Courteau, resigns. In the preceding days, Mr. Courteau has made contradictory comments. He first said in parliamentary committee that none of the situations listed in Martin Leclerc’s article involved a QMJHL team.

Then, in front of journalists, he declared that a former member of the league had made a sworn statement as part of the class action, but “there is nothing sexual in what is stated”. Which was wrong.