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Knights Aware Of New Hire's Past

You won't find anything about harness racing in the official bio of the London Knights' new head of scouting.

But Ken Hornick apparently had a long history with the sport until he was banned from it for a decade and fined $30,000 after admitting to trafficking illegal drugs for racehorses.

BlackburnNews.com acted on a tip about Hornick's past from an anonymous person within the horse racing industry.

"We were shocked that someone with his past was hired to such an important position, especially involving kids," says the tipster.

In May of 2008, when he was charged with two counts of trafficking illegal substances, the OPP referred to Hornick as "the drug trafficker to the industry." At the time, Hornick was an employee of Woodbine Racetrack.

According to a Globe and Mail report on the case, a search of Hornick's Mississauga home allegedly turned up unlabeled controlled substances including steroids.

Although he was never convicted of any Criminal Code charges, when he appeared before a panel of the Ontario Racing Commission in February 2010, Hornick admitted to his actions and agreed to a ten-year ban and a fine of $30,000. (Read the hearing transcript HERE)

The ban expires in 2018.

BlackburnNews.com contacted the Knights' organization to see if they were aware of Hornick's past, and they are.

"We hired the best hockey person out there for this director of scouting role, for sure", says Natalie Wakabayashi, marketing manager of the London Knights. "We're aware of his past, but at the end of the day, we hired the most qualified person for the director of scouting role for the London Knights."

Hornick has a lot of experience in the game. He is an agent with the Orr Hockey Group. He began his career as an assistant coach at Red Deer College alongside current Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock. He also served as an assistant coach of the Orangeville Flyers for three seasons under Coach Dale Hawerchuk.

At the same time Hornick's appointment was announced, the Knights named Jake Goldberg as an area scout for the team as well.

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