Hockey coach countersues parent who filed $2 million lawsuit against him for allegedly beating their child

A minor hockey coach from London, Ontario has filed a defamation lawsuit of $1.29 million against a parent who alleged that the coach physically and verbally mistreated their child at a practice.

“This is a case about an out-of-control hockey parent who openly bragged about ruining the career of a coach for failing to give his son sufficient ice time,” the coach's lawsuit read.

The parents of a teenager from London first filed a lawsuit to get paid $2 million in compensation from the hockey coach and various hockey organizations. They allege that the coach “physically battered" and "verbally harassed and assaulted" their son.

The incident allegedly took place in October. It involved the coach making intimidating threats, failing to adhere to Hockey Canada's dressing room policy and spreading falsehoods about the teen's father.

In response, the hockey coach insisted the parents were angry that their son didn't get as much ice time as they wanted. His defamation lawsuit alleges the father openly boasted about getting the coach fired and ruining his reputation over the playing time disputes.

The lawsuit mentions the head hockey coach of the U13 Huron Perth Lakers, Michael Nicoll. It also mentions the Huron Perth Lakers Hockey Association (HPL), Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario, Ontario Minor Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada.

The parent filing the lawsuit seeks compensation for alleged abuse and requests $50,000 from HPL for breaching a contract and other damages. None of the claims from either party have been officially proven in court yet.

New protocols set to tackle abuse in Canadian sport

Laura Misner is the head of the School of Kinesiology at Western University and the advisor for sports. She mentioned there is an increase in misconduct cases in sports due to shifts in policies and attitudes.

"We have started to really create a safer space for people to come forward and report on these issues of abuse and maltreatment ... by another player, or teammates or a coach.”

"I think we've seen a culture of silencing for far too long."

Recently, Ottawa decided to look into mistreatment in sports by setting up a special three-member panel to conduct an independent investigation.