There were several in June that the Canadian junior league CHL was sued for harassment. And now Mathis Olimb, with 385 matches in the SHL, tells Norwegian VG about his time in the CHL. And he recognizes the stories that have come to the surface, and also the harsh jargon from when he played in the London Knights and Sarnia Sting in the 2004/2005 season.
- A horror story, and I've heard of horror stories from that league. I never witnessed what was described. But as a newcomer, it was a tough environment to get into. The older players were trained to oppress the younger ones, Olimb tells VG.
Olimb tells VG that there was a clear hierarchy within the team, where the younger ones were humiliated by various challenges. A big difference from what he was used to in Norway.
- In Norway, the younger ones get to pick up the pucks after training. They went went a little further. But it was nowhere near what was described about this. Then I would have gone home.
Something that Olimb reacted to was how the coaches did not know what was happening.
- When we traveled by bus to the matches, they were always with us. They must have been sitting with their headphones close to their ears for not realizing what was happening, he says.