The Puck Stops Here
- juleswhitlock
- Jun 8
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 9
The Hockey Canada trial will soon end but I believe it will be talked about for years to come.
I am not a trained professional lawyer, psychologist, mental health expert, or doctor so I am sharing my own personal views and opinions.
Some of the following content could be triggering so reader discretion is advised.
I've heard/read/seen my fair share of disheartening sexual assault cases over the years. While some victims come forward to share their stories, I assume there are others who do not.
The night in question took place in 2018 in London, Ontario. The Canadian World Junior hockey players were in London for a gala event. They were celebrating their championship win after representing Canada on an International stage. Following the gala, many of them headed to a local bar. A female from the area ended up at the same place as the players.
She was introduced to one of the players and hung out with the group at the bar. Throughout the evening, several alcoholic drinks were consumed. Once they left the bar, she and one of the hockey players went back to his hotel room. They engaged in consensual sexual activity. Not long after, some of his fellow hockey players began to arrive in his hotel room. At this point, the story becomes separated. Her side versus their side.
Allegedly, he texted one of the players to ask if he wanted a ‘three way.’ So what brought the others to the room?
As many as 10-11 players would end up in the hotel room at the same time with this 20-year-old female. The victim alleged some were holding golf clubs while making sexual references about the clubs and golf balls.
Allegedly, the victim was on a bed sheet on the floor with the athletes around her. She alleged she was spanked and spat on. She also alleged she was lured to perform sexual activities on some players and made to shower before leaving.
The next day, the mother of victim discovered what happened and contacted Hockey Canada about the allegations. Hockey Canada supposedly then reached out to the local police in London, Ontario.
The police investigated the women’s allegations by interviewing some of the players who had been accused. They admitted to the sexual involvement with the victim, but said it had all been consensual. They insinuated she was the aggressor.
The investigator did not do forensic testing of the victim’s clothing from that evening. He explained how he felt the victim was being pressured by her family based on her response to his interview(s) with her. The case was closed in 2019.
In April 2022, she filed a lawsuit, which Hockey Canada settled out of court. In 2024, the case was reopened by the London Police Department and not by the victim. As charges came forward, the five accused players pleaded not guilty.
The trial boils down to whether consent was given that evening between the victim and the five accused players. Below is Canada’s definition of consent.
The difference between sexual violence and sexual acts is consent.
Sexual violence can describe a range of actions, including:
· catcalling and whistling
· sharing of intimate photos without permission
· unwanted kissing and touching
· threatening someone to get sex
· sexual assault
While not all sexual violence is physical, any sexual touching without consent is a crime.
Consent is the voluntary agreement to do a particular sexual activity at a particular time — and it only applies to that activity at that time. It’s not just about saying yes or no once: Anything new or later means getting consent again. Everyone involved must actively, willingly, and continuously give consent to the sexual activity.
For sex to be great, is has to be great for both people involved, which means communication, respect and meaningful consent. For consent to be meaningful, it must be:
Given freely and enthusiastically. If someone is pressured or coerced into doing something, that is not consent. “No” always means “no” and needs to be respected.
Ongoing. People can change their minds at any time during a sexual encounter — and if they do, it’s time to stop. Ongoing consent means ongoing communication. If you’re unsure how your partner is feeling, stop what you’re doing and ask.
Specific and needed for every activity. Just because someone consents to one sexual activity doesn’t mean they’re consenting to another. Ask for every activity.
Informed. There is no such thing as consent without all the information. Consent must be given honestly without lies, manipulation or tricks between the individuals.[1]
The victim has been identified as E.M. for privacy reasons. She was on the stand for nine days and cross-examined by the five lawyers who represent each of the five accused players.
Throughout the trial, two sets of jurors were discharged. It is now up to the judge in this trial to decide the final verdict.
The details of the trial have gained national and international attention as the media continues to provide coverage daily.
The hockey culture in Canada is no stranger to controversy. Canadian journalist Laura Robinson has delved into this topic and even published a book in 1998 about hazing and sexual assault in junior hockey. I recently heard her speak on a podcast and she said she is in the process of updating the 1998 book for re-release. The older version is no longer in circulation unless you happen to find it in a second-hand bookstore.
When I first heard about the allegations several years ago, it gave me the ick!
When you hear about a group of males around a lone female in a hotel room after a night of drinking, you are left with more questions than answers. Was this normal? If it is, how do they learn it as normal?
So many questions raced through my head. How did this situation come to be? Even if she was the aggressor and they were so shocked by her behaviour (as they have described), why did they continue the night the way they did?
It’s become a ‘her word against his word’ scenario but in this case it’s more like ‘her word against a group of connected individuals’ words.
Do the group texts reveal only a small portion of the discussion? Were there untraceable conversations had among them? Are we missing a full picture? Is it just a coincidence that the choice of language used by the players seemed eerily similar when describing the evening in question?
Did the player, who contacted the victim the next day by seeking her out on social media, mean to imply a threat when he told her to make it go away?
Allegedly, these young players are in a hotel room while some are allegedly partially unclothed as they engage in sexual activity with the same female in front of one another.
Even more alarming are the allegations that some may have ejaculated on her, spanked her, and spit on her. If these allegations are true, this kind of group mentality is disturbing.
If anyone is questioning E.M.’s ‘alleged’ behaviour, let's not ignore the ‘alleged’ behaviour of these players. Not one of them suspected she may feel outnumbered or that she could feel intimidated, humiliated or bullied by this scenario? Did their own desires impair their judgement?
I also wonder about the conditions around these consent videos. Was she forced to say things she did not want to say? Did she feel coerced? Why was it so important to get these videos if they were doing nothing wrong? How long were they all in this room? The videos were merely seconds in length but weren’t they in that room for hours together? What happened before and after those videos were recorded?
No one was there as her witness to confirm her side. If she had behaved in the way they have described, she is the only one who can verify this as inaccurate.
How is one supposed to act in this scenario? Not saying she was behaving the way they described but not one of those males could possibly understand what it feels like to be a lone female surrounded by a group of intoxicated male athletes in a small space in the middle of the night.
If you look at survivors who have experienced sexual assaults, you may not be able to explain how they behaved during or after the assault.
‘Some of the most common ways that victims react to sexual assault are precisely what people often have difficulty understanding.
Women who experience sexual violence may not always be able to make decisions to protect themselves. In fact, they might:
freeze,
not report or delay reporting,
not remember aspects of the event,
have blanks in memory,
have inconsistencies in memory,
struggle with decision making,
not say no clearly to unwanted sexual contact,
exhibit no physical evidence of injury from a sexual assault,
be unable to identify the perpetrator to police,
exhibit no apparent emotional expression following a sexual assault,
provide what might appear to be inconsistent statements at different points in time,
blame themselves for the assault,
have a relationship with the perpetrator after the assault,
deny or minimize the assault,
recant the experience.
They may seek to hide or minimize behaviors they used to survive, such as appeasement, or flattery, out of fear that they will not be believed or that they will be blamed for their assault. What might appear to be an “inconsistency” in the way a victim reacts, or tells her story, may actually be a typical, predictable, and normal way of responding to life-threatening events and coping with traumatic mechanisms.’[2]
"Misunderstandings continue to arise from still commonly held rape myths, failures to understand common trauma reactions, and mistaken assumptions about small and apparent inconsistencies in recalling upsetting and traumatic events. These lead to the mistaken belief that victim-witness testimony lacks credibility or reliability".[3]
After seven years, it's reasonable to expect someone’s ability to talk about those traumatizing details to be nothing short of devastating. Being revictimized all over again opens old wounds.
These young athletes would have a lot on the line when it comes to their futures. The outcome of this trial could impact their professional careers.
The victim’s life has also been devastatingly impacted from the events that occurred that night.
I do not envy the judge in this trial. She has a very big role to play, as it’s very difficult to know what actually happened that night. It also doesn't help that both sides lack memory recall about important facts and details of the night in question.
If there is not enough evidence to prove the allegations meet the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ criteria, the charges could be dropped. Even if the accused players are not found guilty, it doesn’t mean the allegations were false.
Closing remarks begin Monday, June 9, 2025.
The trial has stirred many emotions. There are a lot of opposing views. However, I think the discussions raise the importance of awareness and how more education is needed on this topic.
I have seen a lot of victim shaming comments and that is disheartening. This article https://thedragonflycentre.com/news/hockey-canada-trial/ really sums it up incredibly well.
I also encourage you to read and listen to what has been documented about the hockey culture in Canada. Both females and males have experienced misconduct over the years. Here is a Fifth Estate episode you might find interesting.
Thank you if you have read this far. It’s a difficult trial to digest. Regardless of the outcome, I hope it sheds light about consent and the responsibility around it.
Jules xo
Did you know?
Sexual assault is a gendered crime; women are victimized at a higher rate (37 incidents per 1,000 women) than men (5 incidents per 1,000 men). As with other violent victimization, young people aged 15-24 years have the highest rate of sexual assault (71 incidents per 1,000 population).
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