Daniel Carcillo alleges WHL, Hockey Canada overlooked abuse to protect Sutters

Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo claims that the Western Hockey League (WHL) and Hockey Canada ignored abuse in the interest of protecting the Sutter family, which has long been associated with both organizations.

Carcillo pointed to a specific incident in which the WHL and Hockey Canada were allegedly made aware of underage drinking as well as physical, verbal and sexual abuse that transpired at a rookie party, and chose not to act.

The six Sutter brothers — Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich, and Ron — enjoyed lengthy playing careers in the NHL and all entered the realm of coaching or acted as general manager after hanging up the skates.

Brent Sutter is one of the most prolific coaches in recent WHL history, leading the Red Deer Rebels to a 2001 Memorial Cup victory during his first stint with the team, while Brian, Darryl and Duane have all coached at the NHL level.

Carcillo played under Darryl Sutter for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2013-14 season. He's emerged as a leading advocate on player safety and hinted that he would reveal more about this pattern going forward.

This development comes after a week in which former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was revealed to have made Mitch Marner rank his teammates' work ethic, then shared the list with the team publicly.

Furthermore, former Calgary Flames player Akim Aliu alleged that Bill Peters — currently the head coach of the Flames — directed racial slurs toward him over his choice of music during their shared tenure with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

Carcillo did not respond to Yahoo Sports Canada’s request for comment. We reached out to Hockey Canada for comment and are awaiting a response.

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