What are you doing, MTL?
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft was held virtually on Friday night. The number one pick went to Buffalo, and no surprise there when they took Michigan Wolverine Owen Power. The night continued with Matty Beneirs selected as the first draft pick (second overall) in Seattle Kraken history. Luke Hughes is going to New Jersey to join his older brother, Jack, also making history as the first set of three American brothers in the National Hockey League.
This is a very exciting night for hockey families across the world. The night came to a close with Montréal’s 31st pick. This one was not what anyone wanted it to be. They selected Logan Mailloux.
This most recent season, Mailloux played in Sweden for a third-tier team. While in Europe, he was criminally charged with invasion of privacy and defamation after sharing an inappropriate photo with his teammates of him and a young woman. He was not arrested, but according to TheDailyFaceoff, he was fined the equivalent of $1,650.
Word of his charges quickly spread around the NHL, and he was asked about the incident in his pre-draft interviews. Nearly half of the National Hockey League vowed not to select him. Many scouts and reporters had him going early on in the second round. Is now a good time to mention that Canadian’s general manager Marc Bergevin was with the Chicago Blackhawks front office in 2012 when all of those sexual assaults were taking place? Also that he was the director of player personnel? Also that he claims to know nothing about what happened? Should I bring that up?
To the public
On July 20th, just eight days before the draft, Logan Mailloux took the unusual route of renouncing himself from the draft. He took to Twitter with a classic notes app apology.
The London Knights put out a statement saying they understood the situation and were under the impression Mailloux had resolved the issue in Sweden.
The victim stated that all she wanted was a heartfelt apology and all she got was a three-sentence text message. Nowhere in Mailloux’s statement does he mention her or any remorse for her or her family.
Directly after drafting Mailloux, Montréal had a statement ready to go. I’m talking minutes after the pick was announced. This was planned. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Let’s unpack this, shall we?
“…a promising hockey player…”
Is he a promising hockey player before he is a perpetrator of sexual assault? His talent does not matter.
“…made a serious mistake…”
A mistake is when the Starbucks barista gives me a hot latte instead of an iced latte. This??? This is a crime.
“…are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan’s actions…”
He said in his statement that he didn’t want to be drafted because he did not deserve it. You picked him anyways. You’re showing him and others that punishment is not necessary if you apologize after you’re caught. If that young woman in Sweden had not spoken up, Logan Mailloux would not have admitted to this by himself.
(((NOT TO MENTION HE’S JUST NOT A FIRST-ROUNDER REGARDLESS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS!!!!!)))
“…providing him with the tools to mature…”
It’s not about maturity. Sure, renouncing himself might not be something you’d see from another player, and I’ll give it to him…not what I was expecting. But, again, crimes. Not maturity. Crimes. Not a mistake. Crimes.
“…guide him in his development…”
After a player gets drafted, they should be developing their skill and strength. Perhaps they’ve never lived on their own, and they have to develop some independence. Learning how to not assault someone????…….That is certainly something….wouldn’t call it development.
Logan Mailloux did not deserve to be drafted into the National Hockey League. It sounds like he knows that. What Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens franchise did continues to enable this behavior in and out of the NHL. Last week, the league publically supported Luke Prokop after he became the first gay active NHL player. They donated $100,000 to several LGBTQ+ foundations. This is completely contradictory to that. There are young girls (myself included) who watch this league and love their teams with everything they have. What is this behavior showing them? That if a boy has a ‘bright future,’ it doesn’t matter how he behaves? That they shouldn’t speak up about incidents like this because nothing will happen?
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