A lawyer representing a woman who alleged in a CTV report that she was sexually assaulted by eight Ontario Hockey League players in 2014 said her client is now deciding how she wishes to proceed.
The woman, who used the pseudonym Anne Marie in a W5 report that aired Wednesday, said the alleged incident occurred at a billet’s house where a 19-year-old player she was in a relationship with was living at the time.
“I do know that Anne Marie is looking to change hockey culture in Canada so that it is not as hyper-sexualized and that fewer people are getting hurt,” lawyer Simona Jellinek said Thursday. “I know that is one of her goals for sure.”
In the report, Anne Marie, now 32, said she reported the alleged incident to the Ontario Provincial Police in February. She also said some of the players went on to play in the NHL.
The CTV report did not name the players alleged to have been involved or the team or teams they played for. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
Jellinek declined to provide details on the location of the alleged incident.
“Somewhere in Ontario is really the only thing that I’m able to say simply because you can understand that we do want to protect Anne Marie’s privacy,” she said in an interview from her Toronto law office.
The Ontario Hockey League has 17 teams in the province and three in the United States. Many clubs are in southern Ontario but some teams are based farther north, including Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.
In the report, Anne Marie said she also contacted the police force where the alleged assault took place, but was told they couldn’t help her either, and that she should call police in the community where she now lives.
“I do know she was very demoralized with how she was dealt with by police on both occasions,” Jellinek said.
It wasn’t clear if Anne Marie also reached out to local authorities.
OPP spokeswoman Gosia Puzio told W5 that those filing a sexual assault report in Ontario need to do so with the police force in the jurisdiction where the alleged assault took place.
In this case, the report said, a civilian employee breached OPP policy by not remaining on the phone with the complainant until they reached the appropriate person.
It wasn’t clear if a police report was ever initiated in the case. Puzio said in an email to The Canadian Press that the OPP is working on a statement in response that will be ready no earlier than Friday.
The OHL, meanwhile, said it is taking the allegations “very seriously” and will cooperate with any police investigation into the claims.
Responding to the report, the NHL said it “is deeply troubled by any accusation of this nature. We have no information beyond what was in the media report from (Wednesday) night.”
“These kinds of cases can go anywhere from police investigations and criminal charges to civil cases being brought against the alleged perpetrators as well as hockey organizations, for instance,” Jellinek said. “They could also go towards a negotiated way of moving forward to change hockey culture in Canada.
“There’s lots of different things that can be done. It’s just the willingness of all parties to try to come up with a way moving forward that’s best for all.”
The report of the alleged incident comes as Hockey Canada continues to deal with sexual assault allegations against players on its 2018 and 2003 national junior teams.