Sexual abuse survivor, ex-player speaks about Blackhawks scandal: ‘No one thought about the victim’

A sexual abuse survivor said the issue in hockey has become well-known, and if the Blackhawks brass really wanted to save their jobs, they should have come forward immediately.

As the fallout continues from the findings of an independent report into alleged sexual abuse by a Chicago Blackhawks video coach over a decade ago, much of the discussion has turned to the culture of hockey, and how it was possible for the situation to be pushed under the rug for so long.

Toronto lawyer, former hockey player, and sexual assault survivor Greg Gilhooly told 680 CJOB that while the culture is slowly changing, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Gilhooly, a star goalie as a young athlete in Winnipeg, was a victim of hockey coach and serial abuser Graham James in the late 1970s — derailing his hockey career and causing him decades of trauma.

The details in the Blackhawks report, he said, paint senior Chicago officials in a terrible light, and that there’s no doubt top executives like longtime general manager Stan Bowman had to lose their jobs as a result.

“Nobody in that room, on hearing that information, thought about the victim,” Gilhooly said.

“Every person in that room thought about two things: winning the Stanley Cup — what was best for the team, to win the Stanley Cup — and ‘what do I do to protect myself and advance my career.'”

Gilhooly said the issue of sexual abuse in hockey — through cases like his and many others — has become well-known, and if the Blackhawks brass really wanted to save their jobs, they should have come forward immediately.