by Culp, Leesa
It was an appearance on CNN, he believes, that resulted in his being asked to travel to Washington, D.C., where, on December 13, 2011, Kennedy appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on children and families.
With Kennedy’s permission, here is the message he delivered:
For many Canadians, hockey is everything. It is our passion, our culture, and our national pride. Like most boys growing up on the Prairies, I dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League, and luckily for me, that dream came true. I played for the Detroit Red Wings, the Boston Bruins, and the Calgary Flames.
But it’s not my dream that I’m best known for — it’s my nightmare. As a junior hockey player, I suffered years of sexual abuse and harassment at the hands of my coach, Graham James.
Despite the nature of the abuse, the hurt I experienced, and the fact I knew what was being done to me was wrong, it took me more than ten years to come forward to the authorities. Why didn’t I say anything?
This is the question that I asked myself again, and again, and again. It’s the question I know everyone else was asking. And it’s the question that plagues the millions of sexual abuse victims around the world.
Even though I wrote a whole book on the subject, the answer is quite simple: because I didn’t think anyone would believe me.
In my case, my abuser was International Hockey Man of the Year! In Canada, that gave him almost god-like status. Sound familiar?
The man who preyed on me took advantage of his position as a coach to look for children who were especially vulnerable — single-parent households, families with drinking problems, boys who needed a father figure, et cetera.
These kids — and often their parents too — looked up to him as a hero. This was someone who could make their dreams come true, and he used that trust to hurt them.
This imbalance of power and authority creates a deeper problem and it’s the one that I think this subcommittee has to deal with head-on if you truly want to prevent child abuse.
In every case of child abuse — certainly in my own — there are people who had a “gut feeling” that something was wrong but didn’t do anything about it.
Their attitude was “I don’t want to get involved,” “It’s not my problem,” “He couldn’t possibly be doing that,” or “The authorities will take care of it.”
And that’s what pedophiles and predators are counting on. They are counting on the public’s ignorance or — worse yet — their indifference. That’s what keeps child abusers in business. And that, Senators, is what you have to address.
From my experience, a child who is being abused has to tell — on average — seven people before their story is taken seriously. Seven! That is completely unacceptable.
When my story became public in 1997, there were people who refused to believe it. Many were angry that I had exposed an ugly side of their beloved sport.
Fortunately, Hockey Canada responded seriously to my situation and made abuse prevention education mandatory for their seventy thousand coaches. And this is the positive message that I want to leave you with this morning.
Seven years ago, I co-founded Respect Group Inc. in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, internationally recognized experts in the prevention of child abuse.
Together, we launched an online training program for sport leaders called Respect in Sport. It focuses on educating all adult youth leaders on abuse, bullying, and harassment prevention, including a sound understanding of your legal and moral responsibilities.
Our belief at Respect Group is that we may never fully eliminate child abuse, but by empowering the ninety-nine percent of well-intentioned adults working with our youth, we can greatly reduce it.
I am proud to say that, through Respect in Sport, we have already certified over 150,000 youth leaders, which represents a high percentage of all Canadian coaches.
Many sport and youth-serving organizations have mandated the Respect in Sport program, and the list continues to grow: Hockey Canada, Gymnastics Canada, the entire province of Manitoba, school boards, and some early adopters here in the United States, including USA Triathlon and USRowing. In addition, organizations like Hockey Canada and Gymnastics Canada have implemented our Respect in Sport program designed specifically for parents.
We are also seeing proactive initiatives by the Canadian government to combat child maltreatment. Not just tougher legislation and minimum sentences for perpetrators, but a federal approach to prevention education that spans the multiple ministries that touch our most vulnerable: Canadian youth.
We have learned that social change takes time and has to occur at both the grassroots level and from the government on down. I am pleased to say that is exactly what is happening in Canada, and I hope it’s what will happen here too.
Over the years, through my work at Respect Group, I’ve learned that
educating the good people — the ninety-nine percent of our population — is our best defence to prevent abuse;
training must be mandatory to ensure full compliance and reduce liability;
the education has to be simple and consistent;
all forms of abuse leave the same emotional scars, so training has to be comprehensive;
education is best delivered online to ensure consistency, safety of the learner, convenience, and the greatest reach; and finally
training must be ongoing, it’s not a one-time thing.
Too often, society’s response to child abuse is to focus on punishing the criminal. If the teacher, priest, or coach is sent to jail for a long time, then we feel that we’ve done our jobs as citizens or as politicians. Punishing the bad guys makes us feel good, but it does not fully solve the problem.
Senators, you need to give all adults working with youth, and all parents, the tools to recognize and respond to abuse when it first arises.
I am under no illusion that such an approach will fully eliminate child abuse, but I do know that mandatory education creates a platform within all organizations for that conversation to happen.
Empower the bystanders and you’ll be taking an important first step in breaking the silence on child abuse.
Where Are They Now?
When the Swift Current Broncos’ bus crashed on December 30, 1986, there were twenty-three people on board — seventeen players and six adults. Here’s a look at what became of them.
The Adults
DAVE ARCHIBALD, the bus driver, was a huge hockey fan. With his mechanical expertise, he wound up driving the bus for the junior A team in Swift Current after the sale of the Broncos to Lethbridge in 1974. When the WHL franchise returned to Swift Current in 1986, he volunteered to drive the bus for the team and stayed through 1998–99. He later retired to the Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan, area with his wife, Kathryn, before moving to Lloydminster. They have a daughter, a son, two granddaughters, and a grandson.
Dave Archibald, with wife, Kathryn.
Courtesy of Dave Archibald.
Brian Costello, with wife, Terri.
Courtesy of Brian Costello.
BRIAN COSTELLO was the sports editor of the Swift Current Sun. He is now the senior special editions editor for The Hockey News and graciously provided the foreword to this book. He and his wife, Terri, live in Toronto.
JOHN FOSTER was the Broncos’ volunteer director of public relations from the fall of 1986 through 1994. He retired from teaching in 2005 at the age of fifty-five. He and his wife, Joan, remain in Swift Current, although they travel to Texas during the winter months.
LORNE FREY was the assistant general manager and assistant coach with the Broncos. He is now the assistant general manager, head scout, and director of player personnel with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and is recognized as one of the top scouts in the major junior hockey world. He won a second Memorial Cup with the Rockets in 2004, and continues to bask in the glory of son-in-law Travis Moen’s 2007 Stanley Cup victory with the Anaheim Ducks.
GRAHAM JAMES was the Broncos’ general manager and head coa
ch from 1986 to 1994. He resigned in 1994 to become part-owner, GM, and head coach of the expansion Calgary Hitmen. In 1996, James pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was given a lifetime ban from coaching by Hockey Canada. James moved to Spain in 2000, where he was involved in coaching until 2003. He was found to be living in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the spring of 2010. In December 2011, he pleaded guilty to two more charges of sexual assault, and was sentenced in March 2012. At that time, he was living in the Montreal area.
DOUG LEAVINS was driving the Zamboni in the Swift Current Civic Centre in 1986 and filling in as the Broncos’ trainer when needed. Immediately after Christmas 1986, trainer Gord Hahn was away with a Canadian team that was playing a touring Russian side, so Leavins was filling in for him when the bus crashed. Leavins later took the job as golf course superintendent at Chinook Golf Course, a Swift Current track. Leavins is married with two children. During the cold Saskatchewan winters, he enjoys downhill skiing and playing rec hockey. When the weather warms up, he plays a little golf.
The Players
ED BROST played two WHL seasons in Calgary before joining the Broncos in 1986. After four years in the WHL, he enrolled in the commerce program at Mount Royal College in Calgary, and then transferred to complete his studies at Alliance University College. He later attended the graduate School of Business at Queen’s University. He
Ed Brost, with wife, Kim, and son, Jake.
Courtesy of Ed Brost.
and his family have now settled near Calgary. Brost and his wife, Kim, have one son, Jake. Brost is president of Trade Venture Development Group Inc., a professional services firm, and the chief operating officer at Acera Companies, which focuses on land development.
TRACY EGELAND was the second-youngest player on the 1986–87 Broncos; only Brent Ruff was younger. Egeland grew up on the family farm near Lethbridge and, during his minor hockey career, was coached by Randy Ruff, the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres’ head coach Lindy Ruff. Egeland and Brent Ruff would become best friends. Egeland had a twelve-year pro career ended by a shoulder injury in December 2001. Tracy was the general manager and head coach of the Central league’s Rocky Mountain Rage when the franchise folded after the 2008–09 season. The Rage played out of Bloomfield, Colorado. Tracy and his wife, Tara, and sons, Trent and Tyler, live in Artesia, New Mexico, where he works for Devon Energy.
Tracy (left), wife of Artie Feher, with daughters Jordan and Brenna, and Artie.
Courtesy of Craig Finnestad.
ARTIE FEHER, then a twenty-year-old goaltender, arrived in Swift Current after the 1986 Christmas break and was accompanying the Broncos for the first time when the bus crashed. He never did play for the Broncos, choosing instead to return to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks after the accident. Feher went on to play one season at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and three seasons at Augustana University in Camrose, Alberta. He became a teacher and has worked in the Prince Albert area for a number of years, recently as an elementary school principal. He now is principal at Red Wing School, while also finding time to play hockey with the Kood-a-bins, a local rec team that was founded in 1994; he is an original member. He and his wife, Tracy, have two daughters, Jordan and Brenna.
Gord Green, with wife, Kim, and sons, Mike and David.
Courtesy of Gord Green.
GORD GREEN, a hard-nosed defenceman, played with the Lethbridge Broncos in 1985–86 and moved to Swift Current with the franchise. Green left the Broncos in 1987, married Kim in 1988, and did a twenty-year stint as a combat engineer in the Canadian Armed Forces. He did six rotations overseas — Kuwait (1991), Croatia (1992), Bosnia (1994), Kosovo (1999), and Afghanistan (2004, 2006). The Greens live in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, where Gord is a power engineer at a refinery. They have two sons: David, a university student, and Mike, who plays junior A hockey.
Trevor Kruger (left), Pat Nogier, Bob Wilkie, and Darren Kruger at the third annual Wellington West Capital Bronco Golf Classic in Swift Current in July 2007.
Courtesy of Leesa Culp.
IAN HERBERS, a hulking defenceman, began his WHL career in 1984–85 with the Kelowna Wings. When the Wings morphed into the Spokane Chiefs for 1985–86, Herbers found himself in Spokane. The Chiefs later traded him to the Lethbridge Broncos and he made the move to Swift Current when the franchise was sold. He would stay with the Broncos through 1987–88. Herbers was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s 1987 draft but, rather than turn pro, he opted to continue playing hockey while attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He graduated with a degree in physical education, with an emphasis on coaching. Following his university career, Herbers played professionally and then got into coaching. In November 2011, he took over as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals, who are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators. On May 30, 2012, Herbers returned to his alma mater as the head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Herbers and his wife, Alina, have two daughters, Jessica and Nicole.
SHELDON KENNEDY went public in 1996 with his story of the abuse he was subjected to by Broncos GM and head coach Graham James. Kennedy since has become an advocate for survivors of abuse. In 2006, Kennedy published his autobiography, Why I Didn’t Say Anything. Kennedy has co-founded a program — Respect in Sport — that has developed a grassroots tool to assist sport and community organizations in delivering on their commitment to create a safe environment for all participants. It provides online training that delivers abuse-prevention education. He travels throughout North America, always offering up solutions that will help protect children and young people from having to face what he went through. He lives near Calgary with his daughter, Ryan, who enjoys basketball and loves riding and caring for horses.
TREVOR KRUGER, a rookie goaltender in 1986, stayed with the Broncos through 1988–89 and then went on to a brief pro career. Currently living in Lethbridge with his wife, Kristie, and their two children, Aidan and Payton, Trevor works as an associate director at Bluefox Association, a facility that provides support to adults and children with disabilities. When Trevor isn’t spending time with his family or playing competitive hockey, he is busy golfing or lending his expertise to other young goalies through private coaching.
KURT LACKTEN, the captain of the Broncos in 1986–87, was born in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1985. He played professionally in minor leagues in North America and also played in Europe before trying his hand at coaching with the Broncos, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Red Deer Rebels. These days, he is a pilot with Hawaiian Airlines, flying Boeing 767s from Honolulu to international destinations, and trans-Pacific to mainland United States destinations. He and his wife, Julie, live in Queen Creek, Arizona, with their daughter, Kennedy.
Kurt Lackten with daughter Kennedy on the flight deck of a Boeing 767.
Courtesy of Gord Green.
Pat Nogier and Bob Wilkie at the Wellington West Bronco Golf Classic in July 2007.
Courtesy of Leesa Culp.
PAT NOGIER started his WHL career as a goaltender with the Kamloops Blazers, and appeared in the 1986 Memorial Cup before being traded to Swift Current. After playing with the Broncos for a season, Nogier returned to Saskatoon, where he became a city police officer. Nogier still is involved with hockey, working and coaching in the Saskatoon area. He also plays with the University of Saskatchewan alumni and the Saskatoon police teams. His wife, daughter, and son all play hockey. Their son, Nelson, a defenceman, was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.
CLARKE POLGLASE was a rookie defenceman from Edmonton when he began his WHL career with the Broncos in 1986. After two seasons, he was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He went on to a lengthy pro career that included stops in the ECHL, IHL, AHL, and WCHL. He declined a request for an interview, writing, “Nothing personal. I wish you guys all the best with everything. Just a place I don’t like to venture but something I will never forget.”
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br /> JASON PROULX started his WHL career in 1985 with the Kamloops Blazers. A defenceman, he was traded to the Broncos in 1986. After the 1986–87 season, Proulx returned to his hometown of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, where he works at the Sherritt-Gordon nickel refinery.
JOE SAKIC began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Broncos, and was one of the players who wasn’t interested in moving when the franchise was sold to Swift Current interests. But move he did, and he wound up being the WHL’s rookie of the year for 1986–87. He went on to a Hall of Fame NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche. He retired as a player in 2009 and now works in the Avalanche front office as an executive advisor and alternate governor. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on June 26, 2012. Sakic and his wife, Debbie, who is from Swift Current, live in Colorado with their children, Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn. The Sakic family regularly returns to Swift Current to visit family.
Leesa Culp and Joe Sakic at the 2009 Swift Current Broncos Hall of Fame induction dinner honouring the 1989 Memorial Cup–winning team.
Rod Steensland.
TODD SCEVIOUR began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Broncos in 1983 and made the move to Swift Current in 1986. After five complete WHL seasons, he went on to play for Team Canada under head coach Dave King. In 1995, after five years at the University of Calgary and having earned his first degree, Sceviour moved to Lenzerheide, Switzerland, to play and coach. His wife, Cheryl, played professional volleyball while in Switzerland. When they returned to Calgary, Sceviour went back to school to get a second degree, in education. He started out teaching at the elementary level and then settled into middle school. He has since started his own construction business. The Sceviours have two sons, Tyler and Ryan.