U of O relaunches hockey team, seeks new coach
The University of Ottawa men’s hockey team will be back on the ice late next year, almost 15 months after it was benched amid sexual assault allegations against two players.
The team will officially relaunch on Thursday when the search begins for a new coach to replace Réal Paiement, who was fired after an internal review revealed he knew about the alleged incident within hours but failed to notify university authorities.
After a six-month investigation by Thunder Bay police, sexual assault charges were laid against captain David Foucher and assistant captain Guillaume Donovan, both 24. They are scheduled to appear in court next on July 14.
The new coach will work through the upcoming school year to recruit a roster of players for the 2016-17 season. It’s unclear if any of the former players will return to the team.
To help facilitate the relaunch, a committee including Gee-Gees hockey alumnus Jean Lépine and Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder was created.
The university said Wednesday it has implemented recommendations from a task force on respect and equality, and a sports services review to prevent similar incidents.
Now, all sports teams must agree in writing to abide by behaviour guidelines that are consistent with the university’s harassment and discrimination policies.
Athletes must also take part in orientation sessions that cover hazing, harassment, anti-doping and alcohol use. Full-time coaching staff will have additional training on dealing with sexual violence.
An ethics and discipline committee was also created to enforce the rules and report incidents of misconduct, the school said.
Marc Schryburt, the director of U of O’s sports services, said he believes the new measures will create a positive environment for the student athletes and the coaches.
“Ethical sport is the cornerstone of what we are doing before we even talk about performance,” Schryburt said.
The team was suspended in March 2014 after allegations surfaced that an alleged assault occurred in the early hours of Feb. 2 while the men’s hockey team was in Thunder Bay for two games. The suspension triggered strong reactions, both for and against.
Documents obtained by the Citizen under Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act showed that donors, parents and alumni, as well as some members of the public not associated with the school, were critical of its handling of the scandal.
They called the suspension “narrow-minded,” said it showed “negligence,” called it a “knee-jerk reaction” and said the university needed a refresher in crisis communications.
The university also received letters supporting its actions.
The team’s suspension led all but the two charged players to launch a $6-million class-action lawsuit against the university. Lawrence Greenspon, the lawyer representing the players, called the university move to reinstate the team for 2016-17 “too little, too late,” adding, “certainly, it’s not anything that’s going to be helpful for all the guys I represent.”
Later this month, Greenspon will appear in court to fight a motion the University of Ottawa is expected to bring forward to try to squash the lawsuit.