I can't think of any hockey journalist who's more thoughtful, thorough and connected than Elliotte Friedman of TSN. Here's a podcast released last night, of which the first ten minutes or so deals with the situation.

Elliotte is totally diligent and does his homework plus. Ironically, he’s a U of Western Ontario grad , located in London. (now called Western University)

[Obviously??] I don't watch mucho analysis, but I don't disagree ^^.   I find the "thoughtful" part kinda interesting .... it seems to me that E.F.'s mannerisms might be a wee bit more than necessary in portraying just how thoughtful he is .... only thing missing is  the tip of leg of the glasses in the mouth while he cogitates.    [Dunno whether or not he speaks "to" situations/incidents/reports ... I s'pose I might have to start payin' closer attention.] 

The printed schpiel that accompanies the podcast mentions, "... latest developments," but it seemed mostly to present the reasoning behind "no further developments to report at this time."   However, I do wonder (?) about,  "... the CHL and NHL reports didn't come out for fear of prejudicing the London Police investigation."  Fwiw, my non-legal logic/illogic interprets that as saying the police aren't smart/astute enuff to separate the wheat from the chaff.  But .... ???

Some perspective/background info/??  from a decade back:   https://www.vice.com/en/article/jmkbzb/rape-culture-has-poisoned-junior-hockey

[I've made no attempt to verify/refute ^^ anything.]

.... aside for Chuck:  CBC radio on in the background  >> and I hear "rat-free Alberta" >> and my mind wanders (?) to one of the pics* you'd posted back a page.  

Fwiw, I made a point of watching E.F. last nite .... he's gettin' better.

* =    Hint: it's NOT Corey Perry!!

Haha,,, dat doity rat Carlson with Black, Smith & Peterson,,, the new “rat-pack”

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Originally posted by Owen

Some perspective/background info/??  from a decade back:   https://www.vice.com/en/article/jmkbzb/rape-culture-has-poisoned-junior-hockey

[I've made no attempt to verify/refute ^^ anything.]

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Yikes.

It's been out for a while, so I expect "everybody" is aware of the stuff that's presented in the "What The Videos Show" segment about 2/3 of the way thru this article.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/world-junior-hockey-sexual-assault-london-1.7096096 

I surely don't have all the nuance/timelines/?? all sorted out, but that particular segment might be problematic .... says a schmuck who peaked out in small debts court [fwiw, never a defendant, but 3 wins in 3 tries as a plaintiff  ].

Could be problematic, yes. Looks like the player’s aware that some of these gals set up the guys for lawsuits,, she calls him paranoid. But was the video made before or after the other players entered the scene.

Dunno, but my guess is after.... but him telling her to "Say it." and "What else?" sounds a bit orchestrated/pressured/rehearsed/?? IMNSHumbleO.

There’s a violent undercurrent to hockey that has bothered me for some time now,, & it’s partly why I didn’t care for MD/DC. Because that corrosive thread bleeds into other areas of the sport, like the parents who act like aggressive morons at the hockey rink when they wouldn’t at all anywhere else. I think it was Evander Kane who jokingly said hockey’s the only place you can physically abuse people and not face police charges. (for the most part,, Bertuzzi and a few others being the exception).

I think other sports [soccer for one?] have reported similar "issues."   Is violence an entirely predictable result of trash-talk/get-under-the-skin/intimidation?   I'm led to believe hockey was plenty violent back in the day [whenever that was], and what pops to my mind when stick-work* gets mentioned is Shack/Ziedel (sp?).

* = well that ^^ and "advice" from a friend who had played MB Junior, CWIAU [or whatever it was] and had a broken ankle derail his try-outs with the Nats [he was never among the penalty leaders, fwiw] ... Never be the first one to drop your stick ... the other guy might not, and he could cut you up pretty good.

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Originally posted by eagleisland

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Originally posted by Owen

Some perspective/background info/??  from a decade back:   https://www.vice.com/en/article/jmkbzb/rape-culture-has-poisoned-junior-hockey

[I've made no attempt to verify/refute ^^ anything.]

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Yikes.

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Even yikesier: https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/alleged-group-sexual-assault-junior-hockey-canada

But I recall The Fifth Estate running a documentary on this stuff many years earlier, around the time the kid across the street was in minor hockey (eventually drafted into major junior, then cut - maybe lucky, he went to the U of T in criminology and became a cop).

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Originally posted by Paul R

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Even yikesier: https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/alleged-group-sexual-assault-junior-hockey-canada

But I recall The Fifth Estate running a documentary on this stuff many years earlier, around the time the kid across the street was in minor hockey (eventually drafted into major junior, then cut - maybe lucky, he went to the U of T in criminology and became a cop).

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Okay. So what's clear is that this has been a problem for a LONG time, and it's been recognized as one, and nobody did anything about it.

One wonders how many current NHL players did stuff like this. One also wonders (and in my case, doubts) whether this is limited to Hockey Canada - or if development programs in other nations turn a blind eye as well.

Skip: "... and nobody did anything about it."

I suppose you mean nobody ^^ in a position of influence?  [i.e. at least the ones benefiting from the status quo.]

As was mentioned previously: More often than not, when non-inner-circle parents do mention that there might be other [better??] options, they are dismissed and/or ostracized as being negative thinkers / not being a team player / etc.  [...  dare I say, looking for flies in the ointment??   ]  

 The mocking/shunning/etc./etc. takes a toll .... most often leading to, "Ah **** it!!" [Maybe more pronounced in small(er) places, I dunno.]    .... and I suspect the AFI sentiment  is easier to arrive at if the act isn't directly with "me and mine"

 Regarding turning a blind eye, I see a direct relationship between organizations that are short on "sunlight and fresh air" and unacceptable behaviour ... sports, military, the workplace, etc. ... I don't see that it makes much diff.   

As for the proportion of current NHLers .... maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same .... would it differ markedly from the 2018 Juniors?  [Both those we know about, AND those we don't.]    I'm no stats analyst/weenie, but I suppose a big enough sample would produce a bell curve??

Fwiw, my boundaries for "we're all in this together" seem 'way out-of-whack with those of a lot of other people.... on a lot of social issues. 

Owen - well said. I just find this all incredibly sad. Hockey is such a beautiful game...

Tongue-in-cheek [and from a pig to boot?] ... I know what ya mean!!  

I liked J.T. as a Dodger ... and as a Red Sock .... I guess I can like him* as a U-blay A-jay:       https://jaysjournal.com/posts/justin-turner-is-signing-with-the-blue-jays-giving-the-club-a-much-needed-power-bat?fbclid=IwAR2I_Eq-Wu5BviZ9upumiDTmtcvsL89OjiptbAvDuObZmr3H126rc_VP7rM

* =  even though in a slightly reduced capacity when they play the Yankees.

Chuck mentioned ^^ a "violent undercurrent"   .... and this popped up on Facebook today. 

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=282298364586378

Dunno whether the current is  working it's way up, or down.  

Read the comments,, sheesh

The kid across the street ... his father was one of "those" parents. He may have been banned from the arena. He once told us that he had his son belt the opposing player at the faceoff/puck drop. (He wasn't a coach.)

I watch the recaps. I notice that they show replays of the fights, complete with "analysis".

Paul, did the father ^^ give any background info?

I'm guessing the recaps you mention are for NHL/CHL/?? games. I've heard/read that protecting star players and energizing the team pass the test, so .... ??  

The only instance I personally recall of [young] kids doing anything unusual in the line of scraping was in one of my son's games [11ish Y.O.].  They were playing in a town up/down the road and that team had a girl who was a pretty decent player [for a girl ].  At some point a scrum developed.  Everybody wore full cages, but with an un-gloved left hand the girl grabbed one of my son's team mates by the mask and proceeded to unleash several gloved right hands to the guy's mask. The guy was so taken by surprise that he didn't react.  Anyhoo, the refs regained control* toot-de-sweet, and as I understand it the guy on the receiving end only got minimal razzing for "losing" a fight to a girl.

* = I think it was by more-or-less conventional methods... not quite like in the ^^ video of the kiddos.

My grandson is playing for Kimberley in this tournament in March (the “Glacier” team is from Whitefish, Montana). I might take in the final day if Kimberley makes it that far. It’s being held in Elkford, BC ,, I’m interested to see how the angry, aggressive Cranbrook parents behave when they’re a little farther from home.

Scrapping ^^ not scraping!!    When I was still trying to "play" [intermediate level] hockey, our practices typically ended with break-aways on the goalie ... a pretty good one IMNSHumbleO.    Though the rink had a tractor-mounted re-surfacer:  If you scored you went to the shower.... if you didn't you manned an "old-school" (?) scraper/scrapper (?).  There was never a shortage of operators.  

I'm guessing maybe 25% scored .... probably too many of us skating in demonstrating our fancy edge work (?) while we got around to thinking about formulating a  plan of attack.   

.... and for some ree-wee, ree-wee important stuff .... NBC Sports Chicago >> Facebook >> BHO:

Apparently players have voted the Blackhawks "jersey" the league's best.  ["Clicking" on most of these types of sites reveals diddly-squat, so I don't. Dunno any particulars about the survey/vote.]