The culture of hockey needs to change, Canada's sports minister said Tuesday, amid reports that two former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players have been charged with sexual assault.
Everyone involved in hockey — including teams, parents and provincial associations — must do more to prevent sexual violence, Pascale St-Onge told reporters in Ottawa.
Her comments came shortly after Radio-Canada first reported that two former QMJHL players and another young man have been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2016 in Drummondville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
"It's horrifying every time we hear these stories," St-Onge said. "These aren't stories that we like to hear, but I think that everyone also understands that this is not anecdotal and that this is really part of a culture that is ingrained in the hockey world."
Players need more education about consent and healthy sexual lifestyles, she added.
The QMJHL said Tuesday it only recently learned of the alleged 2016 assault involving two former Drummondville Voltigeurs players and another young man, adding that the league will co-operate with the judicial process and any further police investigations.
"Our first thoughts go to the alleged victim, and we remain very sensitive to her situation," the league said in a statement. "This explains why the league will continue to fulfil its critical mission of raising awareness and educating its players about sexual misconduct and its consequences."
Radio-Canada said two of the accused — who were minors at the time of the incident and cannot be named — have pleaded guilty in youth court to sexual assault. The broadcaster said that the third accused, former Voltigeurs player Noah Corson, is scheduled to return to court in Drummondville in June.
Asked about the allegations, Corson's agent, Nick Riopel, said he wouldn't comment on that matter, citing the ongoing legal procedures.
Quebec's public prosecutor's office and Corson's current team, the Adirondack Thunder, did not immediately return a request for comment. Corson is the son of former Montreal Canadiens player Shayne Corson.
