CJF J-Talk: An Inside Look at Investigations into Sexual Abuse Allegations in Organized Hockey

The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) J-Talks series returned in person on October 4 with an inside look at investigations into sexual abuse allegations in organized hockey.

This past year, investigative reporting on organized hockey in Canada has revealed a toxic culture of sexual, possibly illegal, misconduct. As a result, Canada’s governing body for its national sport – Hockey Canada – is facing an ongoing crisis and official scrutiny regarding its response to allegations going back to 1989, largely exposed by rigorous investigative journalism.

The event, which took place at the Toronto Reference Library's Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at 789 Yonge Street, featured TSN award-winning journalist Rick Westhead, TSN Executive Producer Ken Volden and The Athletic's Katie Strang. They discussed their investigations, which brought these issues to light, in conversation with CTV National News Correspondent Judy Trinh.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Katie Strang is a senior investigative and enterprise writer for The Athletic where she specializes in covering the intersection of sports and social issues, with a particular focus on sexual abuse and gendered violence. Strang was part of a team that won the 2021 Associated Press Sports Editors award for investigative writing and was a finalist for the 2019 Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting. @KatieJStrang

Rick Westhead is an award-winning investigative journalist and TSN’s Senior Correspondent. In 2021, Westhead led TSN’s reporting on the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault investigation, which included an exclusive interview with Blackhawks first-round draft pick Kyle Beach, in which Beach identified himself as the player abused by the team’s former video coach Brad Aldrich. Throughout his 20-year career, Westhead has reported on a variety of sports issues for a slate of leading publications including the Toronto Star, Bloomberg News, The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail and The New York Times. @rwesthead

Ken Volden is Vice President and Executive Producer at TSN, overseeing all of TSN’s in-house studio productions and the development of digital and social media platforms. A winner of multiple Canadian Screen Awards, Volden joined TSN as an associate producer in 1995. 

ABOUT THE HOST

Judy Trinh is a broadcast journalist and CTV National News Correspondent, Investigations and Politics. Trinh has been nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards and a National Magazine Award for feature writing. She has reported from disaster zones, investigated terror suspects and shone a light on sexual assault in the music industry. In 2017, her personal story of fleeing Vietnam inspired a Heritage Minute that marked Canada’s humanitarian efforts on the country’s 150th birthday. @judyatrinh

This in-person event was part of the CJF's J-Talks program that explores pressing journalistic issues.

The CJF thanks the generosity of exclusive J-Talks Live series sponsor TD Bank Group and in-kind supporters CPAC and Cision.