Not long ago, I had a job in a movie theater. The theater at the foot of an atrium in an open tower. We could look down on the offices and corridors above where the big wigs of the company worked. The biggest wig in our world often leaned over a balcony and stared at us, like a striped gargoyle. If you were caught fooling around, there would be a summons and you would know. One day, there was a commotion from several floors above – lots of shouting and banging. The larger wig had been shot. His reaction was to go back to his office and mess around in it. The knock was security kicks in the door. The screaming was being dragged into the elevators. It was another era. But the lesson there is timeless. No one likes to be canned. But those in charge take it particularly hard. Right now, 2½ months after Hockey Canada’s sexual abuse scandal, we are at the barrier stage. In any other country, this would be over by now. Through a combination of popular outrage and political panic, the edifice of Hockey Canada would have burned to the ground. But in this country we continue to believe that shame will do the job for us. That the people in charge of this world class gong show will get the message and leave their house. But Hockey Canada’s leadership does not operate by Canadian rules. They are right out of the American handbook on how to survive a scandal. Shamelessness is a prerequisite. Their first job was diversion. In terms of ultimate defense, the deflection is gone as well as a guy trying to push bullets by waving his arms around. But it bought time. Those in charge knew they could count on Ottawa to a) quickly promise decisive action and b) decide forever what that decisive action would look like. Deflection has another virtue – it reduces rage. No matter how awful it is, people can only read about a story for so long without getting bored. And there’s always a new rage to divert us. This week, Hockey Canada hired someone to lead an investigation into the operation of Hockey Canada. You could have written the person’s CV long before the name was released – retired judge, public service record, member of the new Family Compact, etc. Finding people is not difficult. There are a whole bunch of them out there twiddling their thumbs, itching for someone to stick a microphone in front of them. But after two months of withering pressure, Hockey Canada is just now finding out who will set up the Slack group to discuss how to start discussing their issues. Let me guess that if they had bled cash instead, it would have taken two hours to set up some sort of working committee. But that’s how you do it, American style. Pretend it’s a live broadcast with screen time to fill before commercials. Keep talking about nothing. Don’t stop talking. It is the silence that kills. While stretching, keep your gaze on the horizon. That’s where the sports are. If you can make it in sports, you might be okay. The same people who wanted your head paraded down the town square yesterday may be distracted by a waving flag. The world junior hockey championship begins in Edmonton on Tuesday. At the weekend there will be a barrage of publicity for the tournament which has produced a thousand official denials. We will recap the details of this ugly affair and assess where we stand. This column is part of that. Until Tuesday, the usual outlets will be talking about hockey. How is Canada’s top line measured? Where is the United States? Where is the Olympiakos team? That’s how you build a modern media barrier. Having seen a million of these things go down over the last few years, you know you’re not going to run away from your problem. Bottom line: You were in positions of authority in a public institution when something despicable happened. The integrity of this institution cannot be maintained if you continue to lead it. This is obvious. But in our haste to definitively nail someone, anyone, we’ve gone beyond the obvious. Now we’re all deep in the weeds, hacking away. Revealing the details of who said what to whom at which board meeting may absorb journalists and politicians, but it only serves Hockey Canada’s current leadership. While we’re dealing with the Inspector Clouseau thing, we’re also avoiding the obvious end point. The more we spend doing this, the more likely it is that all those fish will come off the hook. That was the goal all along. Get locked out, make it to the world juniors, hope Team Canada wins and everyone is too exhausted by the end of it to keep screwing you around. By the time your judge finishes his report – let me guess “Mistakes were made, but there is a clear plan forward” – you may have successfully run your gauntlet. It is not a plan, as such. As with Hockey Canada’s board meetings, on camera, no one has scripted it. It is an instinctive process based on observation. In scandals as in sports, the mission goes today. It’s not going to work. It is also obvious. No matter what the final report says, it will reignite the furor. The names of the players involved in the two alleged assaults will be released, likely during the NHL season. This will rekindle the fury. At any time, the alleged victims could make full public statements. This will rekindle the fury. Either way, the rage will seep out again. The only way to contain it is to blow it to the ground. Eventually, everyone will understand. Really, the only thing decided now is how you want to get to the elevators – walking under your own power or being dragged there screaming by the rest of Canada.
