The Ontario Hockey League says it has taken action over several years to address issues raised by a former player this past weekend.
Daniel Carcillo, in a lengthy series of posts on Twitter, detailed allegations of abuse he endured as a 17-year-old, during his rookie season with the Sarnia Sting in 2002-2003.
Carcillo, who went on to a career in the NHL, claimed he was abused and demeaned on a daily basis by veteran players in hazing incidents.
He said he came forward with his story after news broke about allegations of abuse involving athletes at St. Michael's College School in Toronto.
The year is 2002-2003 I am 17 turning 18 yrs old & it’s my @NHL draft year
I moved away from home, family & friends, to play hockey in the @OHLHockey for the @StingHockey I endured daily bullying/abuse at the hands of veteran players
Below is my story...
— Daniel Carcillo (@CarBombBoom13) November 24, 2018
In a statement to BlackburnNews.com late Monday, the league said it has a zero tolerance on hazing and has been implementing policies to prevent hazing or bullying for several years.
“Today in the OHL, all players receive training on the prevention of bullying and hazing through their member team,” the statement said. “All players acknowledge to the league in writing that they have participated in this training process. Players are encouraged to bring any concerns forward without fear of reprisal.”
In 2005, the league suspended Moe Mantha of the Windsor Spitfires for one-year as general manager and 25 games as coach for a hazing incident involving several of his players.
Carcillo tweeted the Sting coaches “almost seemed to condone and encourage this kind of behaviour, and our GM hired the coaches, I didn’t know who to trust.”
During his rookie season, the Sting’s head coach was Jeff Perry, the general manager was Terry Doran, and the team was owned by Rob, Larry and Dino Ciccarelli.
Perry was fired in late 2003 amid controversy over the benching of star players including Carcillo. Team ownership, at the time, said the dismissal was not a hockey decision.