The eyes of the hockey world will be in Toronto next Friday for the release of "Swift Current", a documentary film on the effects of childhood trauma directly linked to sexual abuse taken from the experiences of former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy.
Sheldon Kennedy was coached by highly respected and equally famous Graham James, an association that began in Winnipeg that carried on into the late 1980's when both Kennedy and Graham were part of the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos. Kennedy later revealed that between the ages of 14 and 19, the former Bronco was sexually abused by the man he considered his mentor and father figure.
"The film is about solution and hope. It's about connecting the dots and having people understand the impact of sexual abuse, child abuse and how they all connect," says Kennedy. "The link between addiction, mental health, suicide, self harm, violence. They're all connected to the early childhood trauma that comes as a result of sexual abuse on kids."
Kennedy reached great success with the Swift Current Broncos, including helping the team capture the Memorial Cup in 1989, and being named to the tournament's all star team among other accomplishments. From Swift Current, Sheldon was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 1988 NHL Draft. A time that should've been marked by excitement and celebration was instead a time of secrecy, shame and guilt.
"If you look at the anxiety, fear and confusion that comes with the child abuse, the mental manipulation, you're not sure how to explain it. The culture we live in doesn't allow people to come forward and talk about this and say I'm hurting. A lot of the time what we're dealing with is invisible damage and people have a fear of never being believed. In my own case, Sheldon may not have said the words but if you look at my actions from when I was in Swift Current to when I came forward with my story, I was telling even though I wasn't talking. The film challenges people to look deeper."
After a few seasons back and forth between the Red Wings and their American Hockey League affiliate Adirondack Red Wings, Sheldon was acquired by Winnipeg before being picked up by the Calgary Flames. The 5'10 right winger spent two seasons in Calgary until the Flames decided not to renew his contract in 1996 shortly after he went public with his story. Kennedy says the work begins when the truth can finally be told.
"I don't think I'll ever forgive Graham James for committing this crime on many, many children. That is unforgivable. But I've done a ton of work to forgive myself for the shame, guilt and the people I've hurt in my life. The way I see it, we can say the word forgiveness but to get to a place of feeling okay with ourselves is a lot of work. It's continued work. To me, it's about constantly working to be better and I don't think there's an end point. When people disclose their stories, the work begins and they become more vulnerable. What I suggest to people is that you need to give yourself permission to forgive yourself. If you look at these cases, they (the victim) carry the shame, guilt and self hatred more than anybody else."
James served 3 1/2 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty in 1997 to sex offences against Kennedy and two others.James was successful in seeking a pardon for those offences in 2007, but he was right back in court a few years later when hockey player Todd Holt and his cousin/retired Calgary Flames star Theo Fleury brought forward a new set of allegations. Graham was sentenced to two years in 2012, however an Appeal Court increased the sentence to five years.
In June, James pleaded guilty to the latest charge of sexual assault and sentenced to two years in prison in Swift Current. The 62-year-old was accused by an undisclosed player from the Broncos of repeated sexual assuault that occurred during his time as the coach and general manager of the team in the early 1990s. Kennedy and Todd Holt met on the steps of court house and accompanied by Swift Current Mayor Jerrod Schafer.
"I think our culture doesn't allow young athletes to come forward and ask questions and be vulnerable. We need to create a confidence within community to allow these conversations to happen and to get to that point, we need to get to a point of acceptance. We have to accept the fact this stuff happens and if we really want to take care of our kids, we have to have all eyes on deck. If we look at the Ryan Chamberlin case, the Graham James case, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Fogel, there were people around all those situations and carry the shame and guilt they didn't do anything. It wasn't that they are bad people because they didn't say anything, it is that they didn't know what to do. We need to give peope the tools to know how to ask questions, give them the confidence to say this is child abuse and give clear direction. If we suspect child abuse as adults, we have a legal obligation to report."
Very recently in the southwest area of the province, another sexual assault and abuse case was exposed in Cabri, Saskatchewan as 39 year old Ryan Chamberlin was charged and sentenced for committing sexual assault on a 14 year old boy among others and dating back to the 90's. The 14 year old boy was in contact with Kennedy throughout the case, and the former NHL'er applauds the teen's courage.
"I look at the young kid that came forward in the Chamberlin case and I say right on. He felt safe to tell his story about what went on in his life. I think it was around Christmas time and his mom had a chance to speak to him about the Sheldon Kennedy story and he disclosed to his mom about what was going on. To me, that is what it is about. It's not about the perfect conversation. It's about letting kids know its okay."
Kennedy was up front about his apprenhension to naming the film "Swift Current" and was clear in his interview with SwiftCurrentOnline he holds no ill feelings towards a community he used to call home.
"I can't live with resentment. I've been back to Swift Current on numerous occasions and I've never thrown the town under the bus and I don't plan on it. This film isn't throwing Swift Current under the bus. It's about taking an honest look at a situation and trying to be better and have people understand. We don't get better unless we can take an honest look at things. These things keep happening if we pretend they don't. When something bad happens, I look at it as how can we take this, learn from it and do something good with it. To me, I hadn't seen that until this last year coming out of Swift Current with the issue. I was disappointed that nothing happened in that regard but I'm quite optimistic that there is good leadership in Swift Current now that will take positive steps to create a community that is the best they can be to keep the safety of the kids."
"Swift Current" opens Toronto's Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival on November 6. The film is directed by Joshua Rofe. Two-time Academy Award-winning documentarian Mark Jonathan Harris is also attached to the project.
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