TORONTO -- A 24-year-old hockey player is suing 24 organizations and individuals involved in junior hockey in western Canada, alleging they willfully ignored sexual abuse by a coach who preyed upon the player for two years.

The player, now on a college team, has obtained court backing for remaining anonymous.

He formerly played for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, one of Canada's three top junior leagues. His coach was Graham James, who was sentenced two years ago to 42 months in prison for sexually abusing the unidentified player and former National Hockey League player Sheldon Kennedy.

The suit, seeking $650,000 was filed Friday in Saskatchewan against 24 individuals and organizations who allegedly knew or should have known that James sexually assaulted some of his players.

The player's parents have also filed suit, naming many of the same organizations and individuals.

"It's accountability we're looking for," the player's mother told The Canadian Press. "From the league and team's perspective it was like [the abuse] never happened. We've never received an apology from anybody."

The mother alleged her son told Broncos team officials that James was abusing him but nothing was ever done.

Individuals named in the suit, when asked for comment, said their responses would be made in court.

"Every citizen has the right to bring an action before the courts," said Western Hockey League President Dev Dley.

Canada's hockey world was shocked when Kennedy decided to go public two years ago with his allegations against James. The case prompted nationwide soul-searching about the highly pressurized nature of junior hockey in Canada, and led many leagues to adopt new policies for screening coaches and protecting players.

James, among the individuals named in the suit, pleaded guilty to committing scores of sexual assaults on Kennedy and the unidentified player. He recently was granted parole and is living in Montreal.

Among the groups named in the suit are the Western Hockey League and its parent group, the Canadian Hockey League, as well as the Swift Current Broncos and the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association.

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Hockey is a sport that has loyal fans from all over the world and multiple age groups but tends not to draw the glamor of football or basketball. As of late hockey is starting to draw a larger more diversified following and is getting better coverage. Major networks have shows dedicated to hockey and are broadcasting several games weekly making it easier to follow your favorite teams.

With all the bad press other sports have have been getting it was good to see that hockey was standing tall. While the NBA lockout was in full swing hockey was on tv's in bars, stores and homes. As hockey was seemingly making a better name for itself and bringing in more fans, out comes a bad memory, his name Graham James.

Graham James was best known for his abuse on Sheldon Kennedy that surfaced two years ago. The attacks took place when Kennedy was coached by James while playing junior hockey. This abuse has played a critical part in Kennedy's life, the pain of these attacks allmost destroyed Kennedy and comes as no surprise as to why. I wish Kennedy the best in his recovery and admire his efforts to help others that have had similiar attacks.

Graham James was sentenced to forty two months for his attacks on Kennedy and now other charges raise concern about James. The player, who remains anonymous, has placed charges seeking $650,000.00 and charging twenty four individuals for ignoring or overlooking the abuse.

I feel sympathetic for all players that have been abused by James and others like him, fourty two months jail time is not enough. This type of behavior is not acceptable and can not be tolerated under any circumstances. We need to make these type of people pay a great deal more for what they have done and the pain it causes. If other people ignored what was happening then they are just as guilty and should get similar sentences.

How many times do people need to get hurt before we make a stand? How many more people are going to ignore the helpless cries of children? WE need to stop this abuse and stop it now!

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Sheldon Kennedy’s Ranch For Kids-2/99

Sheldon Kennedy is one step closer to his dream. The Horse Thief Creek Ranch in the Kootenays has been granted a parceling of 640 acres that is now ready for title transfer from Canadian Maple Leaf Financial Corporation. The land was donated in a bid to help Kennedy reach his goal of helping kids heal from abuse and heightening awareness prevention. The former NHL star skated 8,150 kilometres across Canada last summer to raise funds for the ranch which he has named Anaphe.

CML’s Steven Funk is a personal friend of Sheldon Kennedy and has spent many hours with the man who made headlines during his charity skate:

"While Sheldon’s trip was mired in the dual microscopic evaluation of the delicate subject matter and Sheldon’s own imperfect, yet perfectly human, personal traits, one thing rose above all others - his commitment and his person- ality. Sheldon is a very strong, deep, intelligent, and rounded human being. If only he himself understood. I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that he came up with the idea, he visualized its accomplishment, and he executed the commitment. This man skated across Canada, and in the process, he touched souls.

"Let me tell all of you something personal. When Sheldon got to Vancouver, he and my youngest son Morgan, and Jana, his wife, had a very quiet and private dinner together. During the course of dinner, Sheldon said to me, ‘Steve, you know, I vastly overestimated the physical requirements of the skate, and I vastly underestimated the mental requirements.’ Day in and day out, Sheldon met and supported people from kids to seniors, from jail cells to elementary schools, that had lived lives marred by abuse. The man has his own scars, and the man has been able to walk among the scarred and offer healing. This is a Canadian hero and we are very proud to know him and support him."

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Production Begins in Calgary on The Sheldon Kennedy Story
Media Release
for immediate release
March 8, 1999
SKS Productions
Sarrazin/Couture Productions - Toronto
Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates - Calgary
A CTV Television Production

Principal photography begins in Calgary today on CTV television movie The Sheldon Kennedy Story. The movie tells the true story of NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy, who came forward to tell the truth about having suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of his junior hockey coach.

The project is produced by Pierre Sarrazin of Sarrazin/Couture Productions (The City, La Florida) and Doug MacLeod of Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates (North of 60, The Song Spinner). Written by Suzette Couture (Conspiracy of Silence, Love & Hate, Million Dollar Babies) one of Canada's foremost screenwriters, The Sheldon Kennedy Story is "examines a different aspect of sexual abuse," says producer Sarrazin. "It focuses on a different aspect the story that hasn't been told. It's a love story based on the strength of the relationship between Sheldon and his wife Jana. It's a story of hope and healing and all the difficulties involved in that process."

When Sheldon Kennedy, a Calgary Flames hockey player meets Jana, a beautiful model, he falls in love - or tries to. Something keeps getting in the way and Sheldon seems intent on destroying her love for him. For fear of losing the love of his life, he confesses to her his deepest, darkest secret - he suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of his junior hockey coach. Instead of freeing himself from his past, Sheldon is haunted by the nightmarish memories of his youth. It is only through the commitment of Jana, who becomes his wife, that Sheldon is able to confront the past. By going public with his secret, Sheldon stuns the world of hockey. With his loving wife and child, he is able to seek and find justice against the perpetrator who nearly ruined his life.

This two-hour television movie, directed by Norma Bailey (For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down, Nights Below Station Street, Adventures of Shirley Holmes), will star Jonathan Scarfe (Cliffhanger, ER, NYPD Blue) as Sheldon Kennedy, Polly Shannon (The Girl Next Door, Outer Limits) as Jana and Robert Wisden (DaVinci's Inquest, Excess Baggage) as Graham James.

The Sheldon Kennedy Story is the most recent addition to the CTV Signature Presentation series which features Canadian stories that deal with difficult social issues. "We are telling the story behind the headlines," says Bill Mustos, CTV Vice President of Dramatic Programming. "Suzette Couture and Carol Hay, CTV's Head of Drama Development worked very closely with Sheldon Kennedy, his wife, Jana, and his mother, Shirley, to uncover this tale of courage and triumph. Sheldon's fight for justice became a lightning rod of inspiration, allowing other victims of sexual abuse across the country to come forward and begin their own process of healing.

The production is being shot in Calgary for many reasons, according to Alberta-based producer, Doug MacLeod. "This city forms the emotional backdrop both in terms of the love story - this is where Sheldon and Jana met - and Sheldon's healing process, where the mountains form a literal and creative motif as his place of refuge and inspiration. It is here that he makes his commitment to build Anaphe, the ranch where sexually abused teens will eventually find a place to recover."

The movie will be shot in and around Calgary from March 8 to April 7, 1999 and will air this fall on CTV. The Sheldon Kennedy Story is produced by Sarrazin/Couture Productions and Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates for the CTV Television Network with the participation of the Alberta Film Development Program, the Canadian Television Fund, CFCN Production Fund, CFRN Production Fund, COGECO Program Development Fund, CKCO Television, and The Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit.

Contact:
Fran Humphreys/Deborah Braun
Unit Publicity
(403) 244-7774

Ingrid Hamilton
CTV Publicity
(416) 332-5048

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CALGARY - The true-life drama of Sheldon Kennedy, the NHL player who told the world about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his junior hockey coach, goes before the cameras in Calgary today.
Jonathan Scarfe, a Canadian actor based in Los Angeles, stars as Kennedy.

He has appeared in the TV shows ER and NYPD Blue and the movie Cliffhanger. Toronto's Polly Shannon, from TV's Outer Limits, portrays his wife, Jana.

Vancouver's Robert Wisden, who plays DaVinci's police boss on the TV series DaVinci's Inquest, has been cast as the perpetrator, Graham James.
The two-hour movie, titled The Sheldon Kennedy Story, is being made for CTV and will air this fall. Shooting will take place in and around Calgary until April 7.

The story opens with Kennedy playing for the Calgary Flames and falling in love with Jana, a model.

When he realizes that something is compelling him to drive her away, he confesses to her about his years of sexual abuse. Through her support, he is able to go public and seek justice.

"It's a love story based on the strength of the relationship between Sheldon and his wife Jana. It's a story of hope and healing," said producer Pierre Sarrazin.

The project is a co-production between Calgary's Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates and Toronto's Sarrazin/Couture Productions.
Norma Bailey, whose credits include Nights Below Station Street and The Adventures of Shirley Holmes directs Suzette Couture's script.
No professional hockey players are taking part in the film, said publicist Fran Humphreys, but amateur players will be used in some scenes.
Kennedy, who now plays hockey for the Landshut Cannibals of the German Elite League, has worked closely with the filmmakers on crafting the story.

© 1999 Canadian Press

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Filming on TV Movie Begins Monday
March 11, 1999

CALGARY (CP) - The true life drama of Sheldon Kennedy, the NHL player who told the world about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his junior hockey coach, goes before the cameras in Calgary on Monday. Jonathan Scarfe, a Canadian actor based in Los Angeles, stars as Kennedy.

He has appeared in the TV shows ER and NYPD Blue and the movie Cliffhanger. Toronto's Polly Shannon, from TV's Outer Limits, portrays his wife, Jana. Vancouver's Robert Wisden, who plays DaVinci's police boss on the TV series DaVinci's Inquest, has been cast as perpetrator, Graham James.

The two-hour movie, titled The Sheldon Kennedy Story, is being made for CTV and will air this fall. Shooting will take place in and around Calgary until April 7. The story opens with Kennedy playing for the Calgary Flamesand falling in love with Jana, a model.

When he realizes that something is compelling him to drive her away, he confesses to her about his years of sexual abuse. Through her support, he is able to go public and seek justice. "It's a love story based on the strength of the relationship between Sheldon and his wife Jana. It's a story of hope and healing," said producer Pierre Sarrazin.

The project is a co-production between Calgary's Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates and Toronto's Sarrazin/Couture Productions. The director is Winnepeg's Norma Bailey, whose credits include Nights Below Station Street and The Adventures of Shirley Holmes.

Screenwriter Suzette Couture has a number of TV movies to her credit, including Conspiracy of Silence, Love and Hate and Million Dollar Babies. No professional hockey players are taking part in the film, said publicist Fran Humphreys, but amateur players will be used in some scenes.

Kennedy, who now plays hockey for the Landshut Cannibals of the German Elite League, has worked closely with filmmakers on crafting the story. It's hoped that he can get to Calgary for part of the shoot.

-- CFRA Interactive (defunct)

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Sheldon Kennedy Movie Filmed In Okotoks
By John Barlow
3/17/99

The Okotoks Recreation Centre was transformed into a rural Manitoba arena last week for the filming of The Sheldon Kennedy Story.

SKS Productions were in Okotoks last Monday to film portions of the CTV television movie which will air on CTV this fall.

"We are telling the story behind the headlines," said Bill Mustos, CTV vice-president of dramatic programming. "We worked very closely with Sheldon Kennedy, his wife, Jana, and his mother Shirley, to uncover this tale of courage and triumph."

Kennedy, a former player in the National Hockey League (NHL) revealed two years ago that his junior coach, Graham James, had sexually abused him for years.

James was found guilty of sexual assault and is currently serving three years in prison.

The Sheldon Kennedy Story, which is directed by Norma Bailey, centers on the story behind the scenes and Sheldon's relationship with his beautiful wife, Jana.

"It focuses on a different aspect of the story that hasn't been told," said producer Pierre Sarrazin. "It is a love story based on the strength of the relationship between Sheldon and his wife, Jana."

Jonathan Scarfe, who has appeared in Cliffhanger, ER and NYPD Blue will star as Sheldon Kennedy, Polly Shannon (The Girl Next Door and Outer Limits) as Jana and Robert Wisden (DaVinci's Inquest, Excess Baggage) as Graham James.

Of course, a number of local 'actors' will also have cameos in the film. Local residents were used as extras as fans and hockey players.

-- Western Wheel

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Sexual Predator Tale Has Calgary Roots
Thursday, March 18, 1999
Alison Mayes

He's not a real sexual predator -- he's just an actor portraying junior-hockey coach Graham James in the CTV movie The Sheldon Kennedy Story. But when a rogue puck sailed into the Saddledome stands and smacked Robert Wisden on the side of the nose during a mock Calgary Flames game on Wednesday, it seemed as if fate knew exactly which spectator was the bad guy.

The two-hour movie is being filmed entirely in Calgary, the city where Kennedy revealed to the world that he was sexually abused about 300 times by James, his coach, between the ages of 14 and 19.

Director Norma Bailey, a diminutive Winnepegger who was whipping confidently around the rink on hockey skates, scraped up a handful of snow from the ice and gave it to the shocked Wisden to clamp over his nose while he waited for medical attention.

"I've been playing hockey all my life," he moaned, amazed at the fluke injury, which left him with a noticeable cut and a probable bruise. "I wear a visor all the time when I play, so I don't ruin this beautiful face!"

The 40-year-old Wisden, who trained as an actor in Edmonton and now lives in Vancouver, does have a pleasant, welcoming face. Costumed in courduroy pants and a patterned sweater, he looks like a friendly dad to whom you'd readily entrust your kids. In fact, he's the real-life coach of his 10-year-old son's soccer team.

Wisden, best known to TV viewers as DaVinci's police boss on the series DaVinci's Inquest, prepared for the James role by reading a number of books about men who sexually prey on boys.

"They do a lot of good things for children," he notes. "They're scout leaders and coaches and community leaders. They provide father figures. But everything good they do becomes worthless...kids who get abused are just destroyed." Wisden says he didn't have to do much soul-searching before accepting the vile part. "I took the role because I believe in the cause (of recovering from and preventing sexual abuse)." He remembers hearing Kennedy in an hour-long radio interview. "I was just amazed by this guy -- he was so open and genuine. His pain was so evident, but his joy at coming to grips with it was as evident."

While Wisden was a Kennedy supporter long before the film, 23-year-old Jonathan Scarfe admits he had never heard of Kennedy before auditioning for the starring role.That's because the boyishly handsome performer, the son of Canadian actors Sara Botsford (E.N.G.) and Alan Scarfe, lives in Los Angeles, where even the biggest Canadian news stories tend not to penetrate. What's more, the six-foot, 175-lb. Scarfe had never skated nor watched a whole hockey game before he was thrown into four weeks of intensive on-ice training for the part.

Unlacing his skates during a break, he groans and says his knees can't take the punishment. More than willing to laugh at himself, he has high praise for the local non-professional players -- most from SAIT, U of C and Junior A teams -- who are costumed as fictional Flames and Detroit Red Wings.

"It was pathetic how bad I could not keep up with these guys," he laughs about merely being asked to skate in a circle. An on-ice double, SAIT player Shawn McCann, handles most of the skating and stick-handling for the Kennedy character.

The screenplay for The Sheldon Kennedy Story grew out of in-depth interviews with Kennedy, Jana and his mother. It begins during the 1995-96 NHL season when Kennedy played for Calgary, and ends in early 1997 with his public disclosure of his wrenching secret, just after James is sentenced in a Calgary courtroom.

The years of abuse are shown in flashback, with a 15-year-old Vancouver actor playing the young Sheldon. Scarfe must portray the troubled athlete from age 18 on.

"(Kennedy) has trouble connecting emotionally with anybody. He has a huge sense of self-loathing, no self-worth...there's a huge part of him that never grew past the point when the abuse started."

The easygoing young actor is no stranger to emotional intensity on-screen. Last season he earned a Gemini nomination for playing a vicious white supremacist in the CBC-TV movie White Lies. He has also guest-starred as a young heroin addict on seven episodes of ER.

He has watched videotapes of Kennedy's TV interviews, but is concerned about "doing justice" to the abuse survivor's emotional journey.

He hopes that Kennedy, who is 29 years old and plays in the German Elite League, will make it to Calgary for part of the shoot.

"I just want to have a beer with him, just shoot the breeze and get to know him a bit, because then the job of acting him would be personalized."

One aspect of Kennedy's story that comes easily to Scarfe is the athlete's whirlwind, straight-to-marriage romance with Jana. Scarfe has only been married seven months to a fellow actor, Suki Kaiser, who will play the lead in a series called Hope Island, set to start filming in Vancouver in May.

"We fell madly, rediculously in love in, like, four days," he remembers. "I totally get the part of (Kennedy's story)."

The movie is a co-production between Calgary's Bradshaw MacLeod & Associates and Toronto's Sarrazin/Couture Productions. The script was vetted by lawyers to make sure it doesn't contain anything legally dicey in its portrayals of the hockey milieu. Other than Kennedy, the players are fictionalized -- the names on the backs of the hockey sweaters actually belong to the movie's crew.

There is no character meant to represent the second, younger hockey player whom James was convicted of abusing more than 50 times. That victim has never been publically identified and has filed a lawsuit against James and 23 other parties, claiming hockey officials knowingly ignored James' actions for years.

When the movie airs on CTV this fall, says producer Pierre Sarrazin, it will be followed by at least 30 minutes of special programming to deal with the emotional outpouring it is expected to trigger in the audience. Viewers will be able to call in for Counselling referrals.

Sarrazin and Calgary producer Doug MacLeod are fairly confident that the movie deals with a universal issue and the CTV will be able to sell it for broadcast in other countries, perhaps with a more generic title.

There have been many stories on sexual abuse...but it's never been told from the perspective of an adult man," says Sarrazin.Wednesday's Saddledome scenes required a horde of volunteer extras to play cheering or booing Flames fans for hours on end. The producers hoped to draw 1,500 people, but only a few hundred showed up, with the result that the "fans" repeatedly had to be herded to different seating sections to create the illusion of a full arena.

They seemed remarkably cheerful and enthusiastic nonetheless. One woman, who asked not to be named, offered a clue as to why. She is a survivor of sexual abuse, and said a casting person had told her that a number of other volunteers had also come out because they share Kennedy's painful past.

"I'm a victim, too," the extra said after the day's filming. "I went for a cause. There's a lot of feeling behind why I went."

-- Calgary Herald

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Icing on her skate: Director of Kennedy Flick Hopes to Turn 'Dome Into Movie Set
Thursday, March 18, 1999
By Eric Francis

At 5-foot-1, it's hard to imagine Norma Bailey suiting up to play hockey.

However, a quick glimpse of her at the Saddledome yesterday as director of The Sheldon Kennedy Story makes it quite clear she has skating ability. Problem was, as a youngster in the late '70's, she didn't have any money.

"I was living in Montreal and wanted to play hockey but couldn't afford it," explained the Winnepeg native, who has several award-winning credits. "So, I got a fake I.D. from someone at McGill and played on the school team for a year. It was great, but I'm not telling you what my fake name was."

Twenty years later, the hockey mom is still at the rink. This time, she's calling the shots in a movie to air on CTV this fall.

"It wasn't the hockey that attracted me to this, it was Sheldon's story -- it's a great script," said Bailey of Kennedy's tale of sexual abuse at the hands of convicted junior hockey coach Graham James.

Ironically, the man who plays James in the movie, Robert Wisden, was hit on the nose with a stray puck yesterday, which delayed filming while the actor patched up his face and hit the makeup hard.

"Funny thing is he's a hockey player and coach who has worn a visor for 20 years to protect his face," said Bailey, who was standing rinkside beside Wisden when it happened. "The puck somehow got through a tiny door opening, ricocheted off a metal bar above his head and hit him. Total fluke."

-- Calgary Sun

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Kennedy Story Films On Thin Ice
Monday, March 22, 1999
By Tyler McCleod
Sun Entertainment

The Calgary Flames are up 2 to 1 with 3:23 left to go.
Sheldon Kennedy picks up the puck at the blueline, flies effortlessly past the Philadelphia defense, roofs one behind the Flyers' netminder and seals a win.

It's a pretty goal. Especially for someone who has only been skating for a month.

"I got the job and it's like, 'Yeah, it starts in four weeks-- how many skating lessons do you need? One? Two?' " recalls Jonathan Scarfe. "I came out on the ice for the first time, stepped on the ice and whoa! Flat on my back."

Since finding out that he had landed the title role in the CTV telefilm The Sheldon Kennedy Story, Scarfe has been hitting the ice for two or three hours daily.

"I grew up partly in Brooklyn; we played stickball," he says.

Scarfe's folks, noted Canadian actors Alan Scarfe (Bay Boy, Joshua Then And Now) and Barbara March weren't exactly hockey parents.

"I guess mom and dad were always bringing me to the theatre instead," he laughs.

Polly Shannon, who portrays Kennedy's wife Jana, grew up around the game, though, in Aylmer, Que.

She remembers well when the former WHL star broke his silence about abuse.

"I went to, like, hockey high school. A lot were on the Hull Olympiques and I used to hang out with some of the Ottawa 67's," Shannon says. "When the story broke out, I was affected by it. It could've been anyone I knew. Who knows?"

While somewhat disguised under makeup to help look like Sheldon Kennedy, Scarfe may be familiar from his recurring role as Noah Wyle's brother on ER.

Scarfe points to the extras sitting on the Saddledome players' benches when discussing how understanding the faux Flames, Flyers and other skaters have been of his rookie status.

"I had to get into a fight with a guy and beat the hell out of him," the 23-year-old relates, "and the whole time, he was holding me up so I wouldn't fall over." The Toronto-born actor says he's catching on to the game and may join a league when he returns to L.A. Maybe after a few more pointers from Robert Wisden, though.

"He's hopeless -- I can't give him any tips," laughs the Vancouver-based actor. However, as coach of his children's soccer teams, Wisden couldn't help but try. "The guy skates...I gave him some tips on how to make a pass without falling over." Wisden has the unenviable task of portraying sexual predator Graham James. "He's not a prince, that's for sure. I think when this movie airs, I'm going to be out of state," the DaVinci's Inquest cast member says.

An errant puck which happened to catch Wisden in the nose is far from the most uncomfortable aspect of this job.

"I thought I was going to handle it pretty well. But we did some pretty sensitive scenes yesterday with the young lad (Noel Fisher, who plays Kennedy as a youth) and now I'm feeling kind of squinky about the whole deal," says Wisden. "But if I wasn't feeling kind of squinky about the whole deal -- then there's a problem, right?" As if some comfort, Wisden is spared from having to portray many of the particularly unseemly facets of James' personality.

"I don't have to much. Graham James' reputation and the events that are depicted in the movie -- they do everything," Wisden says. "All my research on these guys -- and their profiles are generally the same -- leads me to believe all I have to do is play the 'good guy', be a good coach and father figure."

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The Difficult History of Sheldon Kennedy
(Translated to English from French by Google)

Sheldon Kennedy is satisfied with interpretation in the telefilm.
(photo CP)
Wednesday September 29, 1999
By John McKay

TORONTO (CP) - It could not patinate and it did not follow the hockey of the national League. It did not know Sheldon Kennedy either before the role is offered to him. However the Canadian actor Jonathan Scarfe who resides today in Los Angeles is convinced to have returned with effectiveness the personality of the bird and to have disturbed player of hockey which shocked the nation in 1997 by revealing that it had been attacked by his trainer among juniors.

"To be honest, I met it and I said to him that I had had it well ", Scarfe with a half smile acknowledges. The results will speak about themselves Sunday whereas The Sheldon Kennedy story is diffused àe CTV.

More half of the scenes had been filmed when Scarfe met Kennedy for the first time. He and Polly Shannon, which plays the role of the wife of Kennedy, spent time with the couple, accompanying them even for a barbecue with the residence by the Kennedy. The actor then invited the player of hockey thereafter invited to visit it in order to familiarize itself.

"I was nervous to meet it. I said myself, my God, I interpreted it a little loony and hysterical and it is him! It liked that and that m"a made good."

Kennedy who works now with the service of the public relations for the Canadian Red Cross makes the promotion of programmes of prevention of the sexual abuse. This one is excited: " When I looked at film, I felt to go up certain emotions ", it acknowledged.

"I am satisfied because I know that we created something which will be surely very strong and which will make it possible to open the eyes of the public."

Kennedy also had witty remarks for the actors. " Jonathan did a superb work, really incredible. It resembles to me much, even in person I was lucky on this aspect ", mentions the ex-player of Bruins of Boston.

Scarfe incarne Kennedy, transposing his descent into Hell in a succession of poignant scenes. He affirms to have attracted by this role because the actors often do not have the occasion to play of the characters of victims like this one.

"I often have the bad lots and the goods but never somebody like that. It is a role which has much of depth."

Canoe French (canoe.qc.ca)

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4/13/99
Sheldon Kennedy lends support to Calgary theatre production
ANDREA MARANTZ - CBC Radio Arts

CALGARY - Hockey players and theatre don't usually mix, but they're blending quite nicely in Calgary. Calgary's Alberta Theatre Projects opens its spring repertory season next week. One of the three plays is the Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned To Drive, a comedic coming of age story that also deals with the dark subject of child sexual abuse.

That's why the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation has signed on as a non-profit partner in the production. Kennedy, a former NHL star, was the central witness in a sexual abuse case against his junior hockey coach. Since then, Kennedy established a foundation to educate the public about sexual abuse.

Kennedy met with the cast and crew of How I Learned To Drive late last week. Director Bob White says it was an enlightening meeting.

"One of the interesting experiences in talking to him about his process of healing is that it's clear that laughter is part of his own therapy," he says. "So I think there's a very good match here, in terms of the process that Sheldon Kennedy has gone through, and is going through, and hopefully what we're doing on stage."

The Sheldon Kennedy Foundation will have an information booth in the lobby of the theatre during all performances of How I Learned To Drive. The play previews tomorrow night at Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary and officially opens on April 21st.

"I think there's a very good match here, in terms of the process that Sheldon Kennedy has gone through, and is going through, and hopefully what we're doing on stage."

--Director

-- CBC

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Kennedy's Dream of Abused Kids' Retreat Dies
Update: Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Red Cross to get assets
Charlie Gillis
National Post, with files from the Calgary Herald

Sheldon Kennedy closed the book yesterday on his four-year dream of building a mountain retreat for abused children, announcing he will shut down his charitable foundation after transferring its assets to the Canadian Red Cross.

"There's no pain for me that the ranch never got off the ground," the former National Hockey League player told a press conference in Calgary. "The Red Cross can reach more people. I think this is better. I'm very excited."

The Red Cross plans to put the $1-million worth of proceeds toward its existing child abuse prevention program. It has promised to give Mr. Kennedy a position, probably as a public spokesman.

The move marks the end of a long, at times tumultuous, journey for Mr. Kennedy, who won international praise in 1996 when he went public with the fact he had been sexually abused by his former junior coach, Graham James. His revelations forced deep soul-searching within Canada's amateur hockey system, prompting officials to install a series of safeguards and programs aimed at preventing similar incidents
in the future.

The intense attention, however, effectively yoked Mr. Kennedy to the issue of child sex abuse -- as did his widely publicized pledge to build a ranch where abuse victims could gather and recover. Last spring, Mr. Kennedy set out on an 8,000-kilometre journey across the country to raise the $15-million needed to build and operate the ranch. But the foundation finished with net assets of only $2.2-million and paid out expenses of about $1.3-million. The amount included a 240-hectare parcel of land near Horsethief Creek, B.C., where the ranch was to be built, donated by Vancouver businessman Steven Funk.

The tour was also beset by problems of Mr. Kennedy's own making: It suffered a massive blow when he crashed an all-terrain vehicle lent to him by a Calgary car dealer after a night of beer drinking with his road manager. Police found marijuana in the vehicle, which Mr. Kennedy later admitted to be his.

The fundraising drive took another hit when it was revealed Mr. Kennedy had been receiving a $7,500 monthly salary from his foundation, an amount some critics felt was too high. Mr. Kennedy bristled at suggestions yesterday the payments were out of line, saying: "I was out there skating 16 hours a day and I have a family to raise."

But Wayne MacNeil, foundation president, acknowledged that Mr. Kennedy's gaffes crippled the foundation just as it was gathering momentum. Big-ticket corporate donors were reluctant to associate themselves with it because it had "a namesake who's been in the media from time to time for the wrong reasons," he said.

The directors met several times over the winter before deciding to scrap the idea of the ranch. They settled on transferring assets to the Red Cross because the organization had collaborated with Mr. Kennedy on past events. Even if they pulled together enough money to build the ranch, there was little hope of insuring and equipping it properly for yearly operation, the directors decided. The foundation will pass on just more than $1-million in cash, securities and land and cease operation June 30. Jim Wong, spokesman for the Red Cross in Calgary, said his organization will sell the property, worth an estimated $570,000, and use the proceeds to expand the abuse prevention program it has launched in Alberta.

-- CBC

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The End of Sheldon Kennedy's Dream
June 15, 1999

Troubled by poor business decisions, the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation has abandoned its dream of building a ranch for sexually abused children and will hand its donations over to the Canadian Red Cross.

"This is the best decision that we can make as a foundation to get through to as many kids," Sheldon Kennedy said yesterday.

"I think this is great because we've just given the Red Cross abuse prevention services an opportunity to run," added the former NHL hockey player.

The Red Cross will take the foundation's $1 million in assets to address issues of emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect and violence in children's lives.

Mr. Kennedy said Canadians won't mind that their donations from his cross-country skate will be spent on programs other than the ranch he had planned.

"It wasn't that people were really giving money to Sheldon Kennedy specifically," he says. "I'm glad that it covers all the abuse."

Mr. Kennedy, who turns 30 today - he was born in 1969 in Elkhorn, Manitoba - put on in-line skates to skate across Canada last year. He was trying to raise $15 million to build a ranch for sexually abused children near Radium, British Columbia.

The former NHL player turned the hockey world upside down in January 1997 when he went public about how junior hockey coach Graham James sexually abused him. Both were with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League at the time.

Sheldon's story was clearly one of the biggest to ever hit the Canadian sports industry and forced governments, organizations and parents to reconsider the role athletics plays in children's lives.

The Sheldon Kennedy Foundation received $2.2 million in donations last year and paid out $1.3 million in expenses. About $1 million remains, which includes the 640-acre property donated for the Anaphe ranch. It is estimated to be worth $500,000.

The foundation is closing down because it didn't raise anywhere near the money needed. It lacked foresight and planning, foundation president Wayne McNeil admitted Monday.

"If you take a look at our foundation and the different events that happened along the way, there's been a lot of spontaneous decisions made, to say the least," says Mr. McNeil.

Mr. Kennedy and Mr. McNeil say when the skate was over they both realized the ranch was an expensive proposition, particularly due to its high risks, ongoing maintenance and operating costs.

The foundation's credibility was also hurt when Mr. Kennedy crashed and abandoned a borrowed vehicle in Edmonton, Alberta. He had been drinking. There were also questions about the fact that he was paid a salary from the fund during his skate.

The Red Cross said they want to work with Kennedy in the future, but didn't say in what capacity.

The Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services reaches out to Western Canadians. The organization has plans to expand to Eastern Canada.

Sources: Canadian Press, CBC News, CBC News Online

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The End of Sheldon Kennedy's Dream
June 15, 1999

Troubled by poor business decisions, the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation has abandoned its dream of building a ranch for sexually abused children and will hand its donations over to the Canadian Red Cross.

"This is the best decision that we can make as a foundation to get through to as many kids," Sheldon Kennedy said yesterday.

"I think this is great because we've just given the Red Cross abuse prevention services an opportunity to run," added the former NHL hockey player.

The Red Cross will take the foundation's $1 million in assets to address issues of emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect and violence in children's lives.

Mr. Kennedy said Canadians won't mind that their donations from his cross-country skate will be spent on programs other than the ranch he had planned.

"It wasn't that people were really giving money to Sheldon Kennedy specifically," he says. "I'm glad that it covers all the abuse."

Mr. Kennedy, who turns 30 today - he was born in 1969 in Elkhorn, Manitoba - put on in-line skates to skate across Canada last year. He was trying to raise $15 million to build a ranch for sexually abused children near Radium, British Columbia.

The former NHL player turned the hockey world upside down in January 1997 when he went public about how junior hockey coach Graham James sexually abused him. Both were with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League at the time.

Sheldon's story was clearly one of the biggest to ever hit the Canadian sports industry and forced governments, organizations and parents to reconsider the role athletics plays in children's lives.

The Sheldon Kennedy Foundation received $2.2 million in donations last year and paid out $1.3 million in expenses. About $1 million remains, which includes the 640-acre property donated for the Anaphe ranch. It is estimated to be worth $500,000.

The foundation is closing down because it didn't raise anywhere near the money needed. It lacked foresight and planning, foundation president Wayne McNeil admitted Monday.

"If you take a look at our foundation and the different events that happened along the way, there's been a lot of spontaneous decisions made, to say the least," says Mr. McNeil.

Mr. Kennedy and Mr. McNeil say when the skate was over they both realized the ranch was an expensive proposition, particularly due to its high risks, ongoing maintenance and operating costs.

The foundation's credibility was also hurt when Mr. Kennedy crashed and abandoned a borrowed vehicle in Edmonton, Alberta. He had been drinking. There were also questions about the fact that he was paid a salary from the fund during his skate.

The Red Cross said they want to work with Kennedy in the future, but didn't say in what capacity.

The Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services reaches out to Western Canadians. The organization has plans to expand to Eastern Canada.

Sources: Canadian Press, CBC News, CBC News Online

-- CBC 4 Kids

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8/99
Hockey officials deny responsibility in sex abuse case

REGINA (CP) -- A group of hockey officials and organizations being sued by a former player who was sexually abused filed a defence Monday denying responsibility.

Sixteen groups and individuals, including the Canadian Hockey Association, filed a joint statement of defence denying charges that they knew former coach Graham James had "sexually assaulted, molested, harassed and abused" players.

James is now on parole after serving a prison sentence for sexually abusing former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy when Kennedy was in junior.

The man behind the lawsuit, who can't be identified, was abused as a teen player with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League.

He is suing 24 people and organizations including James, the CHA, the Western Hockey League and the Broncos. He claims that the defendants knew he was abusing players and could have prevented James from coaching and managing in the WHL.

The suit calls for damages in excess of $1 million along with compensation for mental suffering and lost economic opportunity.

The man's parents also filed a lawsuit, naming many of the same organizations and individuals. They want $50,000 and demand that those involved acknowledge their responsibility.

-- Canoe

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CTV SIGNATURE PRESENTATION TELLS "THE SHELDON KENNEDY STORY" -- SUN., OCT. 3

-- Emotionally charged two-hour movie to follow documentary --

Toronto (September 23, 1999) - In 1996, NHL player Sheldon Kennedy filed a complaint with local police that would soon rock the hockey world: He had been repeatedly sexually abused by his Junior coach years earlier. After a three-month investigation, Graham James was officially charged in what was to unfold as a shocking story of abuse. By year's end, 28-year-old Kennedy was named Newsmaker-of-the-Year by Canadian Press.

On SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 9 PM (ET), CTV proudly presents "THE SHELDON KENNEDY STORY".

This emotionally charged two-hour movie tells the true and compelling story of Kennedy who, with the love of his wife Jana, found the courage to expose the abuse he suffered at the hands of James.

Kennedy’s revelation changed the Canadian hockey industry. At the same time, his brave admission touched the lives of Canadians with nary an interest in sports. With its impact on everyday people and on a sports institution Canadians hold sacred, CTV President and CEO Ivan Fecan recognized that Sheldon Kennedy’s story was clearly one of national significance. It was ideal for CTV’s Signature Presentation Series, the network’s commitment to Canadian programming that looks at issues of crucial importance to Canadians.

The project was placed in the hands of CTV’s Bill Mustos, Vice President, Dramatic Programming who in turn engaged Suzette Couture and Pierre Sarrazin, principals of Sarrazin/Couture Productions and one of Canada’s finest writing/producing teams, on the film.

Mustos says The Sheldon Kennedy Story is a victory for everyone involved. "CTV and Sarrazin/Couture understood the sensitivity of Sheldon’s story. It’s been a three-year labour of love for everyone, complete with financing challenges as well as the innate creative challenge of dramatizing a real-life story about abuse. We’ve tackled it head on from the mental and emotional perspective and we’re very pleased with the result, as is Sheldon."

CTV will also broadcast a one-hour documentary, "SHELDON: A STORY OF HUMAN COURAGE" on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 AT 8 PM (ET), two days in advance of the drama. It's the behind-the-scenes story of the private pain suffered by Kennedy, his family and friends. Kennedy, Jana, brother Troy, sister Sherri, his parents and key members of the hockey world -- including his billeting families, coaches and teammates -- all arrive on-scene with exclusive footage and photographs to explain how Graham James manipulated Kennedy as a teenager. Most of all, Kennedy speaks candidly of his troubled past and life in the limelight.

Written and directed by Robert Duncan and narrated by Barb Higgins, Sheldon: A Story of Human Courage was produced by Doc TV in association with CTV and Silverback Productions.

CTV