Quebec major junior hockey promises locker room code by next season to prevent hazing

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

The head of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) says the league will introduce three new measures to combat the secret "locker room culture" present in the sport.

Testifying on Wednesday at National Assembly hearings into violence and hazing in Quebec major junior hockey, Gilles Courteau, the QMJHL commissioner, told the committee that none of the revelations of harassment and sexual violence involved his league.

He also said the Quebec league has not received complaints from players about the same kind of disturbing behaviour.

The committee decided to hold hearings on the problem after court documents outlined graphic testimony from six unnamed former hockey players. Their accounts were part of an attempt to launch a class-action lawsuit.

Each player described months of abuse — including sexual assault, beatings, torture and humiliation by veteran players — that they endured as rookies on various teams across Canada.

Their allegations became public earlier this month, when an Ontario Superior Court justice refused to certify the class action.

The three lead plaintiffs, all former junior hockey players, said the QMJHL and other leagues and teams, were responsible for a "toxic culture," predatory violence and hazing.

The judge described the evidence as "horrific."

Today, the committee heard from representatives from QMJHL, the Canadian Hockey League, Hockey Quebec, the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec and McGill University.

Natacha Llorens, the director of player services at the QMJHL, says the allegations of abuse are "taken seriously" by the league.

"I was shocked to