From: Bob Nicholson
Sent: January 21, 2010

Subject: re: Patrice Cormier & Mailout

Young minor hockey players are in for quite a treat next week. The Hockey Canada mailout will reach over 200,000 young hockey players in Canada, and provide them with materials that will let them know about the game, their branches and the sport. Collectively, Hockey Canada and the branches will celebrate the arrival of its newest hockey players and look to recruiting more players to the game.

That being said, we want to make you aware of an element within this mailout that may be brought to your attention. Please be advised that the Hockey Canada mailout, which will be delivered to registered minor hockey players the week of January 25, includes a photo of Patrice Cormier as a representative of the Hockey New Brunswick branch in the kids’ work book.

Given recent media reports, and Cormier’s involvement in a dangerous on-ice situation, we felt it was essential to inform everyone about this, and provide everyone with background and messaging going forward.

Background

Patrice Cormier, along with 12 other players, was identified to be part of this mailout well before the recent QMJHL incident. His photo was part of the mailout sample that was provided and approved at the semi-annual meeting in November. 

A native of Cap–Pelé, N.B., he was an obvious choice for New Brunswick, given his gold medal performance at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, in which he collected three points in six games, and only three minor penalties. 

Cormier was also unanimously selected as captain of Canada’s National Junior Team in December by the coaching staff, based on both his on-ice and off-ice contributions to the team and the program over the previous year. 

While he has always been a physical and hard-nosed player, Cormier had also been able to remain focused and within the rules in his play prior to this event.

As further background information, the other branch representatives are as follows:

·         BC Hockey: Shea Weber

·         Hockey Alberta: Shannon Szabados

·         Hockey Manitoba: Brigette Lacquette

·         Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador: Dan Cleary

·         Hockey North: Jordin Tootoo

·         Hockey Nova Scotia: Sidney Crosby

·         Hockey PEI: Billy Bridges

·         Hockey Québec: Jean Labonté

·         ODHA: Jamie Lee Rattray

·         OHF: Meghan Agosta

·         SHA: Ryan Getzlaf

Given the recent on-ice incident in which Cormier, now a member of the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, injured defenceman Mikaël Tam of the Quebec Remparts with a dangerous hit to the head, the timing of the mailout and the inclusion of Cormier is unfortunate but also unavoidable. It needs to be noted that these work books were printed prior to the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in order to ensure the timely delivery of the package to over 216,000 minor hockey players.

Although no one from Hockey Canada has spoken directly with Patrice at the time that I send you this letter, our understanding is that he deeply regrets the incident. We expect him to learn from this, and become an even better player and person. Hockey Canada supports the CHL and QMJHL as it addresses these types of incidents through its disciplinary process. Hockey Canada strongly believes that this type of on-ice act has no place in the game of hockey at any level.

Hockey Canada hopes that everyone involved in this incident, including Patrice, will choose to play a role in educating all those involved in hockey to emphasize respect in the game at all times, and to refrain from dangerous hits that put individuals at risk and harm the reputation of the great game of hockey.