Quebec hockey coach suspended 10 years for punching teen player
André Harvey tells disciplinary body he regrets his actions, Hockey Quebec says apology not enough
CBC News
Posted: Oct 26, 2012 11:50 AM ET
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2012 3:14 PM ET
Related
Related Stories
A Saguenay, Que., hockey coach who punched a 16-year-old during a brawl last weekend in a Midget A game has been given a 10-year suspension.
André Harvey was one of two coaches and three players who were involved in the fight.
Video obtained by the CBC's French-language service showed the brawl involving several players in the final seconds of a Saturday night game between the Chicoutimi Cougars and the Jonquière Pumas.
A referee trying break up the fight was knocked down and players are shown striking him while he was down.
With players fighting near the Jonquière bench, Harvey throws a punch that appears to strike a 16-year-old Chicoutimi player in the head. Three players and two coaches were handed suspensions earlier this week, but the length hadn't been determined.
Hockey Quebec says coach violated principles
Harvey told the Quebec Ice Hockey Federation's regional disciplinary committee, which met Thursday night to discuss the case, that what he did was wrong and he regrets his action.
Jean Côté, the father of the teen who was hit during the brawl, had called for a lifelong suspension of the coach.
Hockey Quebec previously said the league only issues suspensions for a fixed time period.
On Friday, it issued a statement saying an apology isn't enough. It said the coach had a responsibility to set an example and that his behaviour violated the basic principles of amateur coaching.
"A coach has to know that he plays a crucial role at all times and has great influence on the people around him," the statement said. "He must play an educational role with respect to his players and show respect in his demeanour. This action went against the principles we look for when a coach gets involved in a sport, in any sport."
Côté said his son chose the Midget A league because he wanted to play non-contact hockey. He had suffered nine concussions while playing in other leagues.
Share Tools
Latest Montreal News Headlines
- NDP MP Tyrone Benskin 'truly sorry' for not paying taxes
- NDP MP Tyrone Benskin has apologized for not paying his taxes and promises to pay back everything he owes, but has lost his deputy critic duties as a result of the news. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies crack cocaine allegations
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has vehemently denied allegations that he was seen on a cellphone video smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine. more »
- Pierre's picks: 5 don't-miss events in Montreal this weekend
- Half Moon Run on the Lachine Canal, a collection of wiener dogs posing as UN reps, One Man Festival, bilingual comics switch mother tongues in the So You Think You're Bilingual show and Free Museums Day. more »
- Lobbying saved Montreal's UN aviation agency, Paradis says
- Qatar's decision to drop its bid to bring the International Civil Aviation Organization's headquarters to Doha from Montreal was the result of hard work and intense lobbying on the part of three levels of government, federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis said Friday. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Washington police blame bridge collapse on Alberta trucker

- Washington State police say an Alberta trucker was responsible for hitting a steel beam precipitating a bridge collapse on one of the busiest routes in the American northwest. more »
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for cash savings
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Canada ranks 3rd last in paid vacations
- Canada ranks third last among economically advanced countries in the amount of paid vacation time it guarantees its workers, a new U.S. study indicates. more »
- Group calls for probe of Tory database used in election robocalls
- The Council of Canadians is calling on the Conservative Party to make a list of everyone who had access to its electoral database during the last federal election and turn the information over to the RCMP and the commissioner of elections. "Anything less at this point would be a coverup," the council said in a press release Friday. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Montreal lifts boil-water advisory
- PQ wants to force federally regulated firms to abide by French language charter
- Lobbying saved Montreal's UN aviation agency, Paradis says
- Alleged sexual predator's victims sought by Montreal police
- 28 students strip-searched at St-Jérôme high school
- Former premier among growing list of politicians offered cash in Laval
- Relaunch of Highway 19 extension to be announced today
- 1.3 million Montrealers face boil water advisory
- Laval police seize drugs, assault weapon

