Hockey P.E.I. decision on racist incident involving N.S. player could come within days

Hockey P.E.I.'s disciplinary committee is in the process of writing its decision following a racist incident during a tournament in Charlottetown —  but the organization is not clear how much of its findings, if any, will be made public.

A disciplinary hearing in the case of Mark Connors, a goalie with the Halifax Hawks U18 AA team who says he experienced racism on and off the ice in November, began virtually on Tuesday. 

Hockey P.E.I. executive director Connor Cameron said the organization is being cautious about what is shared with the public — particularly as they are dealing with minors.

"I think transparency is key for our organization, we need to show we are transparent with our process, with our policies and procedures," Cameron said.

"I do hope the public understand that for certain reasons we can't release names and stuff like that, that is a delicate situation that we deal with regularly."

Cameron said the issues being dealt with by the committee are additionally complex because some occurred off the ice and away from game play.

"As a minor sport organization, the things that happen within the glass oftentimes are more easy to deal with in terms of identifying parties," Cameron said. "It does involve a whole level of investigation, it involves locations, and that's not just this case that's any of these cases that deal with off ice issues."

Cameron said he could not provide specific details about the disciplinary hearing, such as the number of people involved, but he can ensure the process has been fair.

"That is up to the committee to decide on what they think is true or is not true, and what the written decision will say," he said.

"Both sides had the opportunity to present observer witnesses. It certainly was a fair process with the number of parties involved."

Cameron said ultimately, the hearing is about Connors, and his story is his to tell.

"Whether he chooses to tell it, I think that's up to Mark," Cameron said. "That's a personal decision for a young man where something really terrible happened to him," Cameron said. "I think what's gone on here is horrible for them as a family, as a hockey player."

Cameron said Hockey P.E.I. will look to find a "balance" on providing transparency and protecting the privacy of minors.

An independent third-party investigator has already completed their report about the incidents, but Hockey P.E.I. would not comment on what role that report played at the hearing.

The organization said the committee's findings could be finalized in the coming days.