The WHL commissioner is responding to a class action lawsuit against CHL

The leagues that former junior ice hockey players Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor are campaigning against are reacting – more than a week after allegations of a toxic and discriminatory environment were released.

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and its member leagues – the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – released a joint statement on Friday in response to the lawsuit on submitted last Thursday.

The statement said: “We are deeply concerned about the allegations of the recently announced class action lawsuit, many of which are historical in nature, and we believe that they do not indicate the leading experience that our players have today in the CHL.

“Regardless of the time, we take the claims very seriously because protecting our players has been and will always be our primary concern.”

The statement said the CHL board of directors voted unanimously on Thursday to create an independent body that will review current league policies and practices related to harassment, abuse, harassment and bullying.

The panel will also review claims that players feel uncomfortable reporting inappropriate behavior.

In an interview with Global News, WHL Commissioner Ron Robison said he doesn’t think this is currently a problem in the WHL, with several options that players can access when they need support.

“Whether through their team and the employees who work with them every day, our billet families are of course very close and build good relationships with our players … and then we also have a security network in which we have assigned a liaison officer to each team. [They are] An independent person who can be reached by the players at any time, ”he said.

The lawsuit alleged a “toxic culture and environment” in junior hockey that is “highly racist, sexualized, homophobic, and / or otherwise discriminatory”, but Robison said he did not believe that there was a toxic hockey culture in the WHL .

“I think if you watch the Western Hockey League, we have a zero tolerance policy for any form of abuse,” he said.

“Our goal is to ensure that we always have a safe and positive environment for all of our players.”

He added that the WHL takes responsibility for looking after young men in the league very seriously.

“It’s a commitment we make to their parents,” said Robison.

“Of course, the players understand what our rules and regulations are regarding any form of turbidity or other problems of this kind. I think we did a really good job of educating the players and making sure they understand that these types of activities are unacceptable to us. “

The lawsuit also includes allegations against former Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Michael Dyck, who now occupies the bank for the Vancouver Giants.

The document states that Dyck took Taylor aside during team training and requested that he fight other young players on the team to increase the intensity.

“That has happened several times. Taylor was severely affected in practice during a fight and he and other team members suffered other injuries during such battles, ”the claim said.

The lawsuit also states that Dyck provided a credit card so an older player could buy alcohol for the team’s “rookie party”.

Robison said the WHL does not intend to investigate Dyck, who has full league support.

“We are fully confident that the Lethbridge Hurricanes – their coaching staff, management – have fully complied with the Western Hockey League regulations during this time,” he said, referring to the 2008/09 season in which Garrett Taylor played was a beginner.

“Michael trained in Lethbridge and is now training in Vancouver. There is nothing to indicate that we are concerned about this.”

The CHL statement said that a chair for the independent review panel should be announced in the coming weeks, with the goal of completing the review process in time for the 2020-21 season.

Last week the WHL published a statement that it is aiming for a start date for the upcoming season on October 2, 2020.