A general view of the interior of the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on October 13, 2022 Photo: AFP

After months of scrutiny and scandal plaguing Canadian ice hockey over sexual assault accusations, some fans may finally be losing faith in the country's favorite sport.

The furor came to a head this week, as Hockey Canada announced it had fired president Scott Smith and dissolved the board of directors in the wake of being dropped by several sponsors.

The troubles started in May, when Canadians first found out about shocking accusations of eight players from the 2018 junior national team sexually assaulting a young woman as a group.

Hockey Canada had allegedly sought to keep the incident quiet, reaching a confidential multi million dollar agreement with the victim. 

Adding to their dismay, fans learned the settlement was paid via a secret fund - one that was supported in part by fees paid by young Canadian hockey players.

The backlash in ice rinks around the country has been intense. 

"This is about more than just hockey," said Jordan Allard, as he watched his son skate at a stadium north of Montreal. 

"It's about the family values that we pass on to our children." 

Several parents, sitting together in the stands, agreed the situation as it is "cannot stand."

"The people who are at the top of Hockey Canada seem to have condoned sexual crimes, and I think the message that we have to pass on to our young people is that this is not acceptable," Allard added.

Another hockey dad, Martin Pronovost, is also a coach - and he takes to the ice as a referee for the federation. 

These days, he said, he is ashamed to wear the Hockey Canada logo on his uniform. 

And so he has crossed out the maple leaf emblem on his shirt with a bit of black fabric in protest, an effort to "start the discussion and try to make others aware."

"Unfortunately, our national sport is tainted, badly tainted," he said, adding that he has seen a "loss of confidence on the part of parents."

Weeks of denial and obfuscation by federation officials have only angered supporters further, triggering sponsors and the government to take action. 

This week, sporting equipment brands Nike and Bauer and restaurant chain Tim Hortons pulled their support from Hockey Canada's men's program. 

And the government, along with several provincial federations and other sponsors, have also yanked their backing, demanding changes. 

Media reports even uncovered there had been not only one secret fund, but two, and that they had been used several times.

Some 15 cases of alleged group sexual assaults have been uncovered going back to 1989, half of them committed in the last decade.

"Sexual violence is treated like an insurance problem at Hockey Canada rather than as a systemic problem that needs to be treated at the source," Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge said.

Now, many Canadians say it is time to confront the vices that can be found surrounding their national sport: misogyny, homophobia, violence and racism. 

According to former Olympic skier Allison Forsyth, herself has been a victim of sexual assault, "There's definitely a culture in hockey where some things aren't taken seriously enough, because a lot of people just focus on what it means to win."

"So we have to take a stand and make major changes to teach our children what is and is not acceptable," she said.

The reckoning comes as hockey is attracting fewer and fewer young players, as athletes flock to other sports such as soccer and basketball. 

AFP