Why Stanley Cup champ Dan Carcillo blames hockey culture for hazing assaults: Matt Cullen
'You have these men in power who, if you question anything, will threaten your path to your dream'
Following the disturbing allegations at St. Michael's College School of assault and sexual assault against student athletes by their teammates, a few athletes have been coming forward to talk about their experiences with hazing.
Earlier this week, former NHLer Daniel Carcillo, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, revealed that, as a rookie with the OHL's Sarnia Sting in 2002, he too was abused by teammates.
He told the CBC that "One of the most vivid memories that stands out is one of my teammates being taped to a table ass-up naked being whipped with his own belt by two veterans. He was screaming."
Matt Cullen, a reporter for CBC Sports, also provides commentary for the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads, spoke with the CBC's Conrad Collaco about Carcillo and the hockey culture that allows hazing to exist.
You can read an abridged and edited version of the interview or listen to the full audio interview by hitting the play button above.
Matt Cullen, CBC Sports
Matt, you had a chance to speak with Daniel Carcillo earlier this week, what did he say about his time in the Ontario Hockey League?
First of all he said that he hated hockey culture — past hockey culture and current hockey culture. Fans of the OHL and NHL will remember Carcillo as an agitator, as a fighter. He played a very aggressive style. He played 429 NHL games and had more than 1,200 penalty minutes. He said that coming out of the OHL he was an angry, confused kid. That was because of the abuse he suffered when he played for the Sarnia Sting. He said that experience shaped the way he played the game. Hockey was his escape, his emotional release. He vented his anger on the ice.
He's retired now, doing a lot of advocacy work. He says there's a lot he hasn't reconciled yet. He says there were about 11 or 12 players that took abuse every single day in the dressing room, in the shower, on the bus. At the time, as a 16-year-old or 17-year-old, he didn't know how to deal with the trauma and how deep it was inside him. He says that hockey culture is the reason why. The story has picked up a lot of traction. His ex-teammates are coming out and all of them say the scars are still there.
I hate... I just can't stand hockey culture. You have these men in power who, if you question anything, will threaten your path to your dream.- Daniel Carcillo, former NHL and OHL player
Millions of Canadian kids grow up playing hockey or other competitive sports where hazing is a past or current tradition. As we saw in the case at St. Michael's College School, many of the victims don't tell their parents. How should parents approach these situations?
As for parents, it's very difficult to do something if you don't know about it. A lot of these players live with billet families far away from their homes. He says it's very difficult for everyone to try and deal with this situation.
That's hockey culture. Parents need to be mindful of that. When you're a young player — you're trying to get more time on the ice, trying to move into the next level, perhaps move into the NHL — the last thing you want to do is rock the boat, make it difficult for coaches to play you, or make your situation worse than it already is.
I don't blame my parents. For a long time it was hard. It was so hard to tell them. You don't want to tell them because then they're going to come and get you and then your dream is over.- Daniel Carcillo, former NHL and OHL player
Matt, you also played junior hockey. What was your experience?
Just like Carcillo, I didn't tell anyone — not parents, not coaches. I was fighting for playing time. I wanted to be on the ice. I wanted to try and make the next level. I didn't want to have a bad reputation attached to my name as a troublemaker. If a veteran player found out the situation could get worse. What Carcillo and his teammates and others who have experienced abuse in the hockey world are trying to do is change this hockey culture. This is not ok. They have created a big movement. We have seen that over the past week.
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