- SportsCBC
Calgary minor hockey club investigates 'disturbing' video that shows boy passing out, convulsing
A Calgary minor hockey club says it is investigating a "disturbing video" that ends as a boy collapses and convulses on the floor while his teammates laugh.The video, sent to CBC News by a parent of a player in the association, shows a youth bent over in a locker room shower, surrounded by other players from his U15 hockey team — some of whom are filming on their cellphones.One of the boys counts "26, 27, 28, 29, 30." At the count of 30, the young teens push the boy in the centre up to the wall with their hands firmly against his chest.As the boy's head rolls back, one boy says "he's out, he's out." Another boy pours water over the seemingly unconscious boy's head and the boys pull their hands back from his chest, laughing, as the boy collapses on the floor. Then, the boy on the floor begins to seize, and the laughter turns nervous, interjected with exclamations of "oh sh-t, oh f-ck." The boy comes to, confused, and one says "you had a f-cking seizure, man."The video was shot on Monday evening. CBC News has blurred the faces of the boys in the video to protect their identities, as they are minors. WATCH | 'Disturbing' locker room video shows young hockey player convulsing:It's unclear whether the act shown in the video is a form of the choking game, where kids practice forms of self-strangulation in order to achieve a brief high, or a hazing ritual. A second video, shot in the same locker room, shows two of the players — both wearing helmets and gloves — exchanging blows as other kids film and cheer them on. After multiple hits to the head by both parties, one of the boys is thrown to the floor. Both videos also shows no physical distancing — the players all stand close to each other, unmasked. It's unclear whether the water bottle dumped on the boy was clean or if another player had drank from it before it was poured on his teammate's head.The Northwest Warriors Hockey Association, a minor hockey club in northwest Calgary, said in a statement sent out to parents on Saturday afternoon that it has received the video and that it took place in one of its team's dressing rooms. CBC News contacted the association to request an interview on Friday and has yet to receive a response. "The video was disturbing and gives a black eye to the hockey community as a whole," the email read.> It is a dangerous game ... you should not try this at home. -Dr. Eddy LangThe association said it takes the incident seriously, is investigating and will apply appropriate sanctions."As leaders within the hockey community we must work to put a stop to this type of behaviour and educate our athletes on how it affects all involved," it said."As an organization we do not tolerate violent and dangerous behaviour and our athletes need to be reminded that engaging in that type of behaviour will be met with zero tolerance."The parent who shared the videos said they are deeply concerned, both by the players' behaviour and the handling of the event by the association. CBC News has agreed not to identify the parent as they are concerned about negative repercussions for themselves and their child within the hockey community. "The players involved in the incident were allowed to play with no clear consequences to their actions and without a thorough investigation by an impartial, non-biased party. The board did not respond until the video became public, to those involved or affected by the events that occurred," the parent said.Doctor says incident could have ended tragicallyDr. Eddy Lang, head of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Calgary, said by cutting off blood flow to the brain, the stunt easily could have ended in tragedy."It's unlikely that he would suffer permanent damage from this but it's still an unwise game to engage in," he said."He ... could have fallen to the ground and hit his head. The loss of consciousness might not have been so brief and he could have in theory vomited and aspirated into his lungs." Lang said he worries sharing the video could present a copycat risk."You can see how young boys might see a thrill in having someone lose consciousness or be brave enough to be the victim of such a hazing or game, but there is a risk there, for sure," Lang said. "It is a dangerous game ... you should not try this at home."Hockey Calgary says player privileges temporarily revokedKevin Kobelka, executive director of Hockey Calgary (the governing body for amateur hockey in the city), said he first heard about the incident on Friday. He contacted the association and asked them to act immediately.He said the association has formed a working group to investigate and interviews with families involved are scheduled for as early as Sunday."As of this time, all players and coaches that are a part of that cohort have had their hockey playing privileges removed … as the investigation goes on," he said. "It's unfortunate but we have to act swiftly and do the right thing."Kobelka said coaches are expected to be in and around the dressing room and monitoring players' behaviour."We're not even allowed into rinks more than 20 to 25 minutes before an ice session right now. So all of this happened in a very short period of time, which is even more surprising," he said. Kobelka said he's hoping the investigation will be completed within a week. WATCH | Former NHL player says hockey culture protects abusersConversations around hazing, abuse and other dangerous behaviours in minor hockey have been at the forefront in recent years, following multiple allegations from former players and a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League. Hockey Calgary's hazing policy describes the practice as a form of initiation that may "humiliate, demean, degrade, or disgrace a person regardless of location or consent of the participant(s)."It says any player, team or association found by investigation to have condoned, initiated or participated in hazing will be disciplined, which could include suspension or expulsion from Hockey Calgary programs.
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Trump Tells Supporters He’s Iffy on a Peaceful Transfer of Power if He Loses the Election
President Donald Trump flirted with the possibility of an authoritarian power grab yet again Saturday, suggesting to supporters at a campaign rally that he may not commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the presidential election.Speaking in Circleville, Ohio, the commander in chief pondered why he should ensure a peaceful transition when he said the previous administration treated him so unfairly: “They ask me, ‘If you lose, will there be a friendly transition?’ Well, when I won, did they give me a friendly transition? They spied on my campaign, they did all this stuff. That was not a friendly transition.”> Trump is still teasing that if he loses, he might not acquiesce to a peaceful transition of power pic.twitter.com/tdIA1kXdzB> > — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 24, 2020Trump has deflected the question before when asked by reporters, saying, “We’ll see what happens.” But he has not made the case for defying a transfer of power directly to supporters before. Vice President Mike Pence has joined the president in refusing to answer the question, dodging it at the vice presidential debate last week.Former President Barack Obama’s administration offered assistance to Trump and his transition team in taking up residence in the White House after the 2016 election, as has been the norm for past presidencies. The two met in January 2017 to discuss the changeover.Former Vice President Joe Biden, who assisted with the transition to Trump from the Obama administration, reacted with apparent exasperation last month when Trump first refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses: “What country are we in? Look, he says the most irrational things. I don’t know what to say.”In the same Ohio speech on Saturday, Trump complained extensively about television coverage, both his own now infamous 60 Minutes interview and what he said was an overemphasis on COVID-19 coverage. Trump walked out of his recent Q&A with correspondent Lesley Stahl but later posted the entire interview to his Facebook page.“This 60 Minutes, she asked me a question. I printed out the whole interview, I said, put it down. She said to me, ‘Why are you begging suburban women?’ You said, ‘Please love me, suburban women!’ No, I didn’t say that. I said, ‘Love me, suburban woman, because I’ve saved the suburbs,’” he said.He also mocked those who take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and appeared to suggest it was all part of an electoral conspiracy against him, saying, “That’s all I hear about now. Turn on TV, ‘Covid, Covid, Covid Covid Covid.’ A plane goes down, 500 people dead, they don’t talk about it. ‘Covid Covid Covid Covid.’ By the way, on November 4th, you won’t hear about it anymore ... ‘Please don’t go and vote, Covid!’”The new coronavirus has killed more than 220,000 Americans this year and infected more than eight million.Obama, speaking in Miami earlier in the day, blasted Trump for trying to appear “tough.”“He thinks scowling or being mean is tough, and being rude is tough, but when 60 Minutes and Lesley Stahl is too tough for you, you ain't all that tough,” he said. “Miami, listen, if he can’t answer a tough question like what would you like to do in your second term, then it’s our job to make sure he doesn’t get a second term.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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Dog sexually assaulted in Mumbai shopping complex
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‘Catastrophic’ shark attack critically injures Australian spearfisher, officials say
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