As more wives and girlfriends within the National Hockey League come forward about alleged domestic violence, activists have begun the call for the NHL to enforce a policy that would hold its accused players accountable for assault.
The NHL currently does not have guidelines regarding bans or suspensions for players who have been accused or convicted of DV.
To help establish a set of rules, Jeane Marie, activist and Billboard-charting artist, organized a protest against domestic violence on Monday, April 21. She and many other protesters gathered in front of the Crypto.com Arena as the L.A. Kings faced the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL members involved in controversies over the year include the wife of Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic, Evander Kane, who was reportedly accused of “neglect,” and Stan Bowman who was in involved in an alleged sexual assualt lawsuit last year.
Marie spoke with Celeb Secrets about her intentions for the protest, saying, “We’re here today, fighting for these women, hoping the NHL will enforce a policy against domestic violence.”
She continued, “The NHL is the only professional sports league that does not have a policy against domestic violence, and that is why these wives and girlfriends keep getting beaten up and it keeps getting swept under the rug.”
Marie noted that the NHL needs to “clean it up” because “time is up” on players getting away with assaulting their significant others.
Activist and author Hari Tahov joined Marie at the protest, where he spoke with reporters about how “disturbing” the DV situation within the NHL is. “Do you want to have people play and be applauded for abuse? Does that sound pretty? Does that look good on you? That’s my question,” adding, “We’re here because survivors don’t have a voice — and we need to spread awareness.”
Protestor and actor Tyler Sebago voiced his frustration about the matter, telling reporters, “The NHL needs to stop hiding behind publicists and PR stunts and enact a clear set of policies that lay down the ground rules for those who choose to abuse.”
Marie and supporters’ stand against DV within the sports community, specifically the NHL association, is only just getting started. There is currently a petition to help survivors and finally put an end to the NHL looking the other way.
“There is a sad precedent in sports that as long as an athlete is talented in their discipline, they can get away with acting terribly — lest we forget illegally — and all is forgiven,” the petition pointed out. “Actions speak louder than words, and the NHL has been noticeably silent. Evil can be carried out in multiple ways: by committing an act of evil itself and by watching this evil happening and doing nothing to stop it. Silence is complicity.”
