Hamilton boys hockey team culture was ‘cesspool’ of bullying and sexual misconduct: adjudicator | CBC News

Warning: This story details sexual misconduct and contains offensive language.

Nearly two years after complaining to Hockey Canada about bullying and sexual misconduct on a Hamilton youth hockey team, a family is relieved they don’t have to keep it secret anymore. 

“The big win is we can now talk about it,” said the mother of one of the victims. “The public needs to know when maltreatment is taking place and what the sanctions are.”

The boy’s father told CBC Hamilton, “kids need to know they can’t get away with it.”

CBC Hamilton is not identifying the parents to protect their son’s privacy.

In April 2024, he was a member of the under-14 AA Stoney Creek Warriors hockey team when the family complained to Hockey Canada, the sport’s governing body. They allege bullying and sexual misconduct by players, including filming teammates who were stripped by force. 

A “toxic” culture took root in the team, an adjudicator found, as evidenced by a Snapchat group he deemed “a cesspool of racist and homophobic images and content, slurs, and jokes about sexual assault.”

Adjudicator sanctioned players and coaches in 2024

A Hockey Canada adjudicator investigated and suspended multiple players and the head coach for a number of games in October 2024. Hockey Canada did not share the adjudicator’s decision when asked. 

CBC Hamilton has seen parts of the decision which are summarized by an arbitrator who reviewed the case at the family’s request as they felt the punishments were too lenient. The family appealed decisions related to nine of 15 people included in the initial investigation. 

That arbitrator, Carol Roberts, is with the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and her findings were released last month. In it, she details how the Hockey Canada investigation found “a number of players” acted in a way that amounted to psychological, physical and sexual maltreatment, bullying and harassment of other players, Roberts wrote. 

It found the team had a “toxic” culture and that coaches breached dressing room policy by “failing to properly supervise the dressing rooms.”

Arbitrator’s review published in October

Because they are underage, the names of the players in Roberts’ review are withheld. Dave Mercanti was the head coach and Greg Williams and Bill Whalen were the assistant coaches.

CBC Hamilton requested comment from Mercanti and Williams but did not hear back. CBC was unable to reach Whalen.

In interviews, the claimant and several witnesses told the adjudicator there was routine physical and verbal bullying and harassment and that players were regularly held down and “pantsed,” with their underwear or genitals exposed, Roberts wrote. 

The six players denied any involvement and the coaches denied any knowledge of the activities. 

The adjudicator also obtained copies of messages, pictures and videos posted on the team’s Snapchat that supported the allegations, Roberts wrote. 

In one, a player appeared to hump another who was lying down in the dressing room while someone off camera talked about “fucking this guy in the ass,” the adjudicator found. Two videos zoomed in on a player’s groin while he was in his underwear. 

Background comments included “[the player’s] dick is sticking out” and “he has a boner,” according to the adjudicator.

Players and coach suspended after 2024 investigation

The adjudicator concluded four players were the primary instigators of the pantsing. Three other players would close and block doors so the victim could not escape and coaches would not be alerted.

He found that pantsing occurred more than 20 times and was likely “in jest” but created an “intolerable dressing room environment.”

Suspensions for players ranged from one to seven games and they were ordered to complete training about respect at their own expense.

When it came to the team’s coaches, the adjudicator said all three men asserted they worked hard to create a culture of respect and inclusivity, and there was always at least one coach and one adult either in the dressing room, or just outside with the door ajar. 

The adjudicator concluded the coaches supervision was “entirely inadequate” and they were negligent. 

The adjudicator said the the head coach, Mercanti, “took no acceptance or responsibility for his actions or the actions of the players,” demonstrated contempt for the process and dismissed evidence.

Mercanti was suspended for five games and the assistant coaches received warnings. The coaches all had to complete online training on dressing room supervision. 

Adjudicator imposes probations, suspension

The boy’s dad told CBC Hamilton the family was “kind of in disbelief” at what he called “extremely light” sanctions.

In the appeal, Hockey Canada argued the adjudicator’s sanctions were reasonable and justified.

Roberts, however, found the adjudicator didn’t consider several factors such as the players’ refusal to admit responsibility despite “clear evidence.”

It was “most concerning,” she said, that the adjudicator determined conduct took place in jest, as she said “there was no evidence,” of that.

Roberts said she saw no evidence as to whether the conduct continued after the suspensions and since it had been a year, it would be unfair to impose new suspensions.

She imposed a two-year probation on the six players starting this season, meaning if they continue to participate in Hockey Canada programming and are found to commit further violations during the probationary period, they could be further disciplined with suspensions or be permanently ineligible.

For the coaches, Roberts said Mercanti “poses an ongoing potential threat to the safety of others” and suspended him for six months from Hockey Canada games, practices and events at the start of the 2025-26 season, followed by a one-year probation. 

Whalen and Williams will also be on probation for one year.  

Coaches no longer with Stoney Creek hockey association

How this complaint was handled is a relatively new process, put in place by Hockey Canada in 2022. It was developed after the organization faced intense scrutiny  over how it handled reports of a group sexual assault involving members of the 2018 men’s national junior team. In July, a judge  found five former players not guilty of sexual assault.

Jeremy Knight, a Hockey Canada spokesperson, told CBC Hamilton it “takes all allegations of maltreatment extremely seriously.”

He said the organization “cannot comment” on specific files but “will continue to work to remove all forms of [maltreatment] from our game.”

Steve Johnson, president of the Stoney Creek Minor Hockey Association, declined an interview.

“We can state that any individuals that were involved in this matter are no longer participants, coaches or volunteers with the Stoney Creek Minor Hockey Association,” Johnson said.

Family says sanctions aren’t enough

The family says they still don’t believe the sanctions are enough of a deterrent.

The mom said she wished the players received a suspension of at least six months to a year, given the behaviour was sexual in nature. 

The parents said they found the maltreatment complaint process very isolating, and lost friends through it. The mom said it was a “full-time job” to navigate the system and find legal representation. Fortunately, she said they did not incur out-of-pocket costs.

“Nobody is really there to stand for you,” she said, adding it wasn’t until they connected with an athlete’s advocacy group called Athletes Empowered that they felt seen and understood. 

Given how hard it was, she said she understands why people might choose to “grin and bear it,” or change hockey associations if problems arise.

The couple’s son still plays hockey, which his mom described as a “beautiful sport.” She said the couple has tried to teach their kids “you can’t let other people take away the things you love.” 

Leaders in the sport “certainly have to do better when it comes to minor hockey,” the boy’s dad said, calling minor hockey the “backbone that builds the passion” for the sport.

“That’s where it needs the most support [to stop] stuff like this from happening.”