A minor hockey team in London, Ont., has been temporarily shut down, with all coaches and players facing suspension, according to the president of the local youth hockey organization.
The West London Hawks U15 House League team has been disbanded until the end of the season following an alleged incident that violated two dressing room rules.
“We are taking it very seriously,” said Larry Moreland, president of the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario.
Moreland became aware of the situation at the end of January after it had already been reported to an Independent Third Party (ITP) investigator via Hockey Canada. He mentioned that it’s unclear when that report was made.
Without going into specifics, Moreland noted that the incident involved players ignoring a no cell phones policy in dressing rooms and coaches failing to follow the “rule of two” policy which mandates at least two registered staff must supervise athletes in the dressing room.
“It’s for the safety of the players,” he explained. “A minimum of two coaching staff need to be present in or just outside the door, with it propped open so they can monitor behavior.”
Two players were involved in this incident and have since been suspended by the Ontario Hockey Federation. Three coaches have also received indefinite suspensions.
Moreland stated a hearing is forthcoming.
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Hockey Canada’s dressing room policy applies to all minor hockey teams sanctioned by the national governing body and its member associations. ( Paul Palmeter/)
The Greater London Hockey Association, which includes the Hawks team as a member association, acknowledged awareness of serious allegations against them.
“First and foremost, our concern is for the well-being and safety of young athletes involved. Situations like this are deeply troubling for our hockey community, and we understand their impact on both players and families,” read their statement.
“We strongly condemn any alleged actions that compromise player safety, dignity, or respect. Our mission is clear: provide a safe, structured, and accountable environment for youth sports.”
PA notice posted on Aug. 13th on West London Hawks’ website also reminds players about cell phone regulations.
'Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action (subject to approval by West London Board) , which may include removal from participating further in West London Minor Hockey activities,' > i>. said</i></font>></font>'</font>‘>’{/b }{ }I} ‘ < b class=”small”>{‘. ‘>} i b{”}{.’} ”} ; n”./". board.’/ /”/”,(board.< b )/’//’);’/s_'”/board.’}’)”. & /..{ */} | | | | | ''" //) } );. bdc–# ? cd }]}@text–num (&.;!-);//}} –‘.({{‘(._! Yt )(cfg+=(string Split–}|F—|)})'”$’/”;=;”‘”!’/””;}*{{) ‘/lo’;//?’$/##’“)}’#}’`”`-`;((/. `{{”. ‘}/!–“#}}””.<<`../}/#}}"?")'./ $)<"."/{)/'+&)"). }}!"__/"(/??)/?(_""'$ (({-“; –[D={).[]}|} -“‘$ }}”:””””?”!,$+.(1–! “”_”_.(“(((( }””____”);=})”) !*”~/,; ((?)_/(()?^%.#()”_’) In addition,, the Alliance policy also emphasizes adhering strictlyto theruleof two,, which states: “coaches must ensurethat asafeand comfortabledressingroomenvironmentwithpropersupervisionis alwaysmaintained.” The same guidelines are reiterated in Hockey Canada’s dressingequipmentpolicy. No formof violent conduct whatsoever (including locker-room boxing), bullying , or hazingisallowed , accordingto Hockey Canada’srules.
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Hockey Canada and Local Police Notified
A spokesperson from Hockey Canada indicated they cannot comment on specific cases under ITP’s oversight due to confidentiality concerns. “Hockey Canada takes all allegations of maltreatment extremely seriously and established an Independent Third Party (ITP) in 2022 specifically for handling these allegations,” Jeremy Knight wrote in an email. Knight added that while ITP does not investigate or adjudicate complaints directly, it ensures complaints are managed confidentially and fairly based on industry best practices. The London police stated they are aware of social media discussions regarding this incident but did not provide further details. “As this relates to an ongoing investigation, there’s no additional information available at this time,” police said.Strict No Phone Policy
The team involved consists mainly of players who are 14 years old or younger. Since it’s a house league team, none had to try out before joining. Players who haven’t been suspended have been offered spots on other house teams within either Hawks organization or other teams around London until season’s end. Moreland emphasized that these rules aren’t new-Alliance Hockey’s dressing room policy clearly states that “cell phones and cameras are prohibited in all minor hockey dressing rooms” except during emergencies.PA notice posted on Aug. 13th on West London Hawks’ website also reminds players about cell phone regulations.
'Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action (subject to approval by West London Board) , which may include removal from participating further in West London Minor Hockey activities,' > i>. said</i></font>></font>'</font>‘>’{/b }{ }I} ‘ < b class=”small”>{‘. ‘>} i b{”}{.’} ”} ; n”./". board.’/ /”/”,(board.< b )/’//’);’/s_'”/board.’}’)”. & /..{ */} | | | | | ''" //) } );. bdc–# ? cd }]}@text–num (&.;!-);//}} –‘.({{‘(._! Yt )(cfg+=(string Split–}|F—|)})'”$’/”;=;”‘”!’/””;}*{{) ‘/lo’;//?’$/##’“)}’#}’`”`-`;((/. `{{”. ‘}/!–“#}}””.<<`../}/#}}"?")'./ $)<"."/{)/'+&)"). }}!"__/"(/??)/?(_""'$ (({-“; –[D={).[]}|} -“‘$ }}”:””””?”!,$+.(1–! “”_”_.(“(((( }””____”);=})”) !*”~/,; ((?)_/(()?^%.#()”_’) In addition,, the Alliance policy also emphasizes adhering strictlyto theruleof two,, which states: “coaches must ensurethat asafeand comfortabledressingroomenvironmentwithpropersupervisionis alwaysmaintained.” The same guidelines are reiterated in Hockey Canada’s dressingequipmentpolicy. No formof violent conduct whatsoever (including locker-room boxing), bullying , or hazingisallowed , accordingto Hockey Canada’srules.
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