Parents of young player who died struggle to find answers within hockey's code of silence

The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' -- airing Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.

When I was approached about this story, I was reluctant.

Not because it wasn’t compelling, it was. I was reluctant mostly because I knew it would be emotionally difficult and because it was about a teenage boy who played AA rep hockey.

Every day I look at my teenage son. I run him to the hockey rink, I take him to team dinners, team building events and tournaments. I engage with other hockey parents and his coaches. I live the exact same sport parent life that Susan and Greg Teague were living with their son Ben in 2019.

My teenage son also plays rep hockey. I have witnessed positive coaching and great experiences in the sport and cultural practices that involve alcohol at sporting events. 

When we met with Susan and Greg in December 2022 to hear their story, I looked around their warm home. Their Christmas tree was up, they had photos of their youngest son Ben gathered on the shelf, they were putting together a wall of family photos.

This would be the fourth Christmas they wouldn’t have with Ben, who died suddenly at a team building camp with his hockey team in September 2019.