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Ottawa Gee-Gees men's ice hockey
College ice hockey team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Ottawa Gee-Gees men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team representing the Ottawa Gee-Gees athletics program of the University of Ottawa. The team is a member of the Ontario University Athletics conference and compete in U Sports. The Gee-Gees play their home games at the Minto Sports Complex in Ottawa, Ontario.[1]
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History
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The first hockey game with students representing the University, then called Ottawa College, against an external opponent was in February of 1890, with the students taking on the 2nd Ottawas on February 13 at the Rideau Rink.[2] The 1889-90 team played a total of eight games, recording three wins, three losses, and two draws.[3] In 1890-91 the team entered a City league which they continued to play in throughout the 1890's.
Exactly when the school first supported an intercollegiate ice hockey team on a regular basis is unclear. Students from Ottawa had been organizing teams since the beginning of the 20th century, however, it's not until 1910 that records indicate a varsity team. Even then, records are spotty, with Ottawa fading in and out of the historical record prior to World War I. What is known is that Ottawa was ranked as the top Canadian college team in 1914 and met Hobey Baker-led Princeton for the first international intercollegiate championship. Ottawa captured the title in overtime 3–2.[4]
References to Ottawa's hockey team don't reappear until the late 20s when they joined the local city junior league. The Gee-Gees remained members of that organization until the mid-50s. During that stretch, Ottawa also played in the city's senor league for about a decade, but its unclear if they did so with the same team or a separate squad.
Ottawa didn't officially return to varsity collegiate play until 1961 when they joined the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Conference (sometimes called Ottawa-St. Lawrence Athletic Association). After seven years in the league, Ottawa joined the Quebec-Ontario Athletic Association and then remained with the Ontario contingent when the three regional conferences were rearranged along provincial lines. In 1979, Ottawa moved to the Quebec Universities Athletic Association, as they were closer geographically to the Quebec colleges than they were several of the Ontario schools. While the change provided Ottawa with the opportunity tot win their first championship in 1985 as well as their first appearance in the national tournament, the league collapsed in 1987 after several schools suspended operation. The remainder of the league was absorbed by the Ontario University Athletic Association, where Ottawa has remained since.
Scandal
In February 2014, the Gee-Gees were in Thunder Bay to take on Lakehead. A woman (referred to as M. S.) met Taylor Collins, one of the Ottawa players, at a bar for a romantic encounter. According to her subsequent statement to the police, after the two met at a bar, Taylor disappeared and she was accosted by two of his teammates, David Foucher and Guillaume Donovan.[5] M. S. alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the two players and the charge brought about a swift reaction. The University of Ottawa suspended its men's team in March and head coach Réal Paiement was fired. Foucher and Donovan were formally charged with sexual assault in August and the university twice extended the program's suspension, cancelling the next two seasons in their entirety.
On March 3, 2014, the University of Ottawa men's varsity hockey team was suspended from any activity due to "severe misconduct". In a press conference, the university stated that they alerted the police due to the severity of the allegations. It was later discovered that some of the players on the hockey team were allegedly involved in a gang sexual assault on the weekend of February 1 while in Thunder Bay playing Lakehead University.
University of Ottawa officials were made aware of the situation by a third party on February 24, 2014. University officials gave information to Thunder Bay police, who confirmed they were in the initial stages of an investigation regarding a sexual assault.[6] The University of Ottawa conducted its own review which called for the initial suspension while the investigation was ongoing.[7] The university also contacted Ottawa police about the allegations, who in turn, cooperated with Thunder Bay police to complete the investigation.
During a press conference on March 3, 2014, the president of the university, Allan Rock, stated that the university was going to announce the suspension of the hockey program on February 28, 2014, but the Thunder Bay Police asked them to delay.[8]
Two former players ultimately faced charges related to the incident. In June 2014, Rock announced uOttawa would not ice a team in 2014–15. January 2015, Rock announced that uOttawa would sit out the 2015–16 season as well in order to give university officials more time to implement reforms.[9] The two former players were found not guilty of sexual assault in a verdict from Ontario Court Justice Chantal M. Brochu on June 25, 2018.[10][11] The team returned for the 2016–17 season.[12]
The trial began more than four years after the reported incident and lasted for approximately two weeks. Justice Chantal M. Brochu heard testimony from seven people including the alleged victim, M. S., as well as Foucher, Donovan and Paiement. During the trial, M. S. was reported to have lied on the witness stand which contributed to Justice Brochu setting her testimony aside. Ultimately, Foucher and Donovan were acquitted of the charges on June 25 and the Crown decided not to appeal the decision.
The 22 players who were not charged with sexual assault filed a class-action lawsuit against both the university and its president, Allan Rock, for defamation in January 2015. The initial filling claimed that the plaintiffs were more concerned with the image and reputation of the university than the damage that would be caused by cancelling a season and alleging implicitly that the players who were not charged had been involved in criminal activity.[13] While the initial demand was for $6 million, the two sides eventually settled for $350,000 in compensation.[14]
Aftermath
The school decided to restart the team in 2016 and hired Patrick Grandmaître to rebuild the program. Ottawa would remain dogged by the scandal for several years with opposing players and fans chanting slogans like "No means no" even when they weren't on the ice.[15] The team was able to play through the difficult times and swiftly returned to prominence. Ottawa managed to earn an appearance in the 2020 national tournament for just the third time in program history, however, their first match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
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Season-by-season results
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Senior and collegiate play
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points
Extra-League Champion | U Sports Semifinalist | Conference regular season champions | Conference Division Champions | Conference Playoff Champions |
Note: the OCJL is the Ottawa City Junior League and the OSIL is the Ottawa Senior Interscholastic League.
Collegiate only
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points
U Sports Champion | U Sports Semifinalist | Conference regular season champions | Conference Division Champions | Conference Playoff Champions |
Note: Totals include results from 1961–62 onward.
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