After calling for the resignation of Hockey Canada's top officials, the South Coast Women's Hockey League (SCWHL) says it's pleased the CEO and board of directors of the national governing body have stepped down.
The B.C. senior women's league, which includes the Burnaby Mountain Capitals, said the resignations are just the first step towards meaningful changes.
"Change was needed in the leadership of Hockey Canada," SCWHL president Rick Kupchuk said in a statement today (Oct. 12).
"The board and the CEO/President had lost the trust of players, coaches, administrators and volunteers.
"This is the first step toward real change."
Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny since May when it was revealed it had settled a lawsuit with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight players from the 2018 junior men's team during a gala event in London, Ont., that year.
Among other revelations that followed was Hockey Canada's admission it drew on minor hockey membership fees to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims.
Calls for leadership change at the embattled sporting body grew louder during parliamentary hearings in Ottawa last week.
Federal Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge said it's time to "clean the house" while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "there needs to be wholesale change" within the organization.
Numerous major corporate sponsors involved with Hockey Canada have recently announced they are suspending or terminating support.
Telus Corp., Scotiabank, Esso and Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire — nearly synonymous with hockey in Canada — have all suspended support of the men's hockey programs for the 2022-23 season, including the upcoming world juniors tournament.
Chevrolet Canada paused its sponsorship in June, with its parent company General Motors saying it has "no tolerance for abuse of any kind."
Grocery retailer Sobeys chose not to renew its sponsorship contract with Hockey Canada when it expired in June.
On Oct. 7, Nike said it had also paused support for Hockey Canada, with a spokesperson saying the ongoing reports involving Hockey Canada are "significant and substantive."
The company will continue to monitor the situation and says it awaits more information about what Hockey Canada will do to support investigations into the sexual assaults.
- with files from The Canadian Press
