OHL Franchise Niagara Ice Dogs punished severely for Hazing

[LeProspector]

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[GermanSpitfire]

If anyone is familiar with the OHL - the Niagara ice dogs have been a train wreck for years. And the previous owner was forced to sell the team under unpleasant circumstrances.

The new owner? Darren DeDobbelaer... somehow things have become worse from ownership that was thought to be as incompetent as it gets.

Two players banned was their captain Landon Cato, and starting goalie Josh Rosenzweig

 

[LemonSauceD]

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League received allegations that certain Niagara IceDog players had violated league policies including the Maltreatment, Bullying and Harassment Protection and Prevention Policy and our Code of Conduct.

The league retained an independent third-party investigator to conduct a thorough investigation. At that time, the Commissioner advised the current team owner, Darren DeDobbelaer, that in order to protect the integrity of the process, the investigation was to be kept confidential and he was not to speak with players or others concerning the subject matter.

The investigator interviewed approximately 15 former players, coaches, staff and team officials over a period of several months.

The league has received the report of the investigator. This report confirmed:

• Violations of the Maltreatment, Bullying and Harassment Protection and Prevention Policy and the Code of Conduct,
• Niagara IceDog players Joshua Rosenzweig and Landon Cato participated in serious violations of the Player Maltreatment Policy and have violated the OHL Code of Conduct including but not limited to Physical Maltreatment and Aiding and Abetting respectively, and
• Despite being instructed to maintain the confidentiality of the investigation, team Governor, Owner and General Manager Darren DeDobbelaer violated the confidentiality directive of the League.

Based on the investigation findings, the Commissioner of the League has issued the following order:

1. In relation to the 2022/2023 season, the Niagara IceDogs are hereby fined $100,000.
2. The Niagara IceDogs shall forfeit their first selection in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection draft.
3. Effective immediately, Darren DeDobbelaer is suspended from acting as team General Manager for two seasons to June 1, 2025.
4. Niagara IceDog players Joshua Rosenzweig and Landon Cato have permanently lost the privilege to participate in the OHL.

The protection of players on and off the ice is the paramount concern of the OHL. Violations of the OHL Code of Conduct or the Maltreatment Policy, most importantly, puts player safety and experience at risk and impacts the reputation of our teams, league and of the sport of hockey.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

The pride of St. Catharines, baby

 

[WarriorofTime]

Right decision. Embarrassing that nearly 20 years after Downie/Aliu this kinda stuff is still happening, only way to make it to stop is for authority figures to down strictly on the culprits.

 

[CascadiaPuck]

Hazing is idiotic. Never understood the appeal on any side of it.

I’m sure some people who have a fetish for humiliating others will try to justify it though.

 

[SpezzaNoLookDropPass]

Hazing is idiotic. Never understood the appeal on any side of it.

I’m sure some people who have a fetish for humiliating others will try to justify it though.

I understand friendly hazing, the stuff that’s not harmful but with all the stories that have come out and to now have 2 players banished from the league it’s mind blowing to think they find any of it funny.

 

[Millpond]

If anyone is familiar with the OHL - the Niagara ice dogs have been a train wreck for years. And the previous owner was forced to sell the team under unpleasant circumstrances.

The new owner? Darren DeDobbelaer... somehow things have become worse from ownership that was thought to be as incompetent as it gets.

Two players banned was their captain Landon Cato, and starting goalie Josh Rosenzweig

I suppose the silver lining is the Mem Cup is NOT in Niagara next season .

Right decision. Embarrassing that nearly 20 years after Downie/Aliu this kinda stuff is still happening, only way to make it to stop is for authority figures to down strictly on the culprits.

Despite all the programmes in place , why is it still going on ?

 

[Millpond]

Hazing is idiotic. Never understood the appeal on any side of it.

I’m sure some people who have a fetish for humiliating others will try to justify it though.

Nice choice for Captain .

 

[robertmac43]

This is a big move in the right direction for the OHL and CHL in general. No place for Hazing, I'm glad they took seriously.

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

I understand friendly hazing, the stuff that’s not harmful but with all the stories that have come out and to now have 2 players banished from the league it’s mind blowing to think they find any of it funny.

There is no such thing as friendly hazing.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Despite all the programmes in place , why is it still going on ?

Teenagers tendency to rule break and push boundaries. Made worse in a setting with a lot of peer pressure and enabling adults that have let them get away with stuff because they’re good at a game. Not to mention those supervisory adults might have come up in the 70s and 80s when it was truly a Wild Wild West of what was allowed so who knows what they themselves did, and thus they may tacitly endorse some sorts of hazing.

 

[ckg927]

Why, oh why, could the OHL NOT force the owner to sell this team to owners that actually give a damn about NOT making the IceDogs the laughingstock of this league? Forcing him to give up his GM hat for 2 years does NOTHING!

 

[OMG67]

There is no such thing as friendly hazing.

Yes there is. Things like making the rookies pick up the pucks at the end of practise or them loading the equipment on the bus for road trips are examples.

 

[Oddbob]

Do we know what these players did?

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

Yes there is. Things like making the rookies pick up the pucks at the end of practise or them loading the equipment on the bus for road trips are examples.

That's not hazing.
Hazing: "humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals."
Picking up pucks and loading equipment are not humiliating. That's just work.

 

[Otto]

Why, oh why, could the OHL NOT force the owner to sell this team to owners that actually give a damn about NOT making the IceDogs the laughingstock of this league? Forcing him to give up his GM hat for 2 years does NOTHING!

I have to figure given the pandemic and subsequent economic decline prospective owners are not lining up

 

[OMG67]

That's not hazing.
Hazing: "humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals."
Picking up pucks and loading equipment are not humiliating. That's just work.

It all depends on the interpretation. It is an activity (work) that is given to the “rookies.” Hazing has always had the humiliation note to it as you suggest but the reality is when one specific group is given extra tasks at the benefit of others and that group is the new kids or rookies or apprentices etc, it is hazing, even by definition. Just because it is clean and somewhat appropriate, doesn’t diminish the fact it still constitutes a hazing ritual. If more teams and players institutes these sorts of responsibilities as a right of passage, then that would become normalized and we could potentially get away form the stupid stuff.

In the NHL, they have the Rookie Dinner where the veterans jack up a huge bill in a restaurant for the rookies to pay equally. Those bills get up over $20k.

 

[bobber]

Thought I read somewhere that Gretzky was a minority owner of the Ice Dogs? Just can't see him wanting his name attached to this fiasco.

 

[LDN]

What’s the extent of the hazing? What did they do?

 

[BigHitter67]

The pride of St. Catharines, baby

Yeah sweeeet ! 19 yrold ‘team leaders’ abusing rookies , adults looking the other way.. and a 12 win season !
Where do i buy my seasons tickets ?

 

[Dog Fan]

Yeah sweeeet ! 19 yrold ‘team leaders’ abusing rookies , adults looking the other way.. and a 12 win season !
Where do i buy my seasons tickets ?

You can buy your seasons tickets from me! lol

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

It all depends on the interpretation. It is an activity (work) that is given to the “rookies.” Hazing has always had the humiliation note to it as you suggest but the reality is when one specific group is given extra tasks at the benefit of others and that group is the new kids or rookies or apprentices etc, it is hazing, even by definition. Just because it is clean and somewhat appropriate, doesn’t diminish the fact it still constitutes a hazing ritual. If more teams and players institutes these sorts of responsibilities as a right of passage, then that would become normalized and we could potentially get away form the stupid stuff.

In the NHL, they have the Rookie Dinner where the veterans jack up a huge bill in a restaurant for the rookies to pay equally. Those bills get up over $20k.

There is no interpretation of good versus bad hazing. It's all bad.

I just experienced bullying, hazing, and worse with my son's youth baseball team. It escalates from small comments to group bullying and worse if it's not put in check. If you think there is anything remotely acceptable about singling out individuals for worse treatment, you're wrong.

Here is the definition of hazing from Safe Sport Canada:
"any conduct that subjects another person—physically, mentally, emotionally or psychologically—to anything that may endanger, abuse, humiliate, degrade or intimidate the person as a condition of joining or being socially accepted by a group, team or organization.”

What delineates hazing versus not is whether the conduct is intended to humiliate / degrade / abuse the individual. The Rookie Dinner is expensive, but not humiliating, and therefore not hazing. Picking up pucks at the end of practice is generally not humiliating or degrading (but it could be if older players are making derogatory comments to the rookies).

Of course, a good organization does not tolerate anything like that. Check out Zdeno Chara's comments on the matter.

Zdeno Chara No. 1 Moment As Teammate: Leading Effort To Stop Hazing Of First-Year Players - NESN.com

Editor’s note: On Sunday, May 31, at 7 p.m. ET, NESN will be airing “Chara at 1000,” celebrating Zdeno Chara reaching the 1,000 game milestone in a Bruins uniform. In the lead-up to that, we will be remembering Chara’s finest moments in Boston — both on and off the ice. For more stories...

nesn.com

If you want to know why the Bruins have been a top organization for so long, look to Chara and Bergeron and how they treat their teammates.

 

[ohloutsider]

Programs south of the border are licking their chops . Easy sell to lure kids and parents away from the OHL. Not a good look for the league.
I'm from Windsor so I can't go all holy then though on this but you would think at this point lessons would have been learned. Disappointing.

 

[mattommy98]

You can buy your seasons tickets from me! lol

And for your wife , mine !!!